Anniversaries
by Athlete Girl
Summary: One shots with humor. What happens when the ladies of Rick's group decide that a holiday is in order? Rated M for lots of sex. Mostly Meth but also Caryl, Maggie x Glen, a little Michonne x Tyreese.
1. Chapter 1

Anniversaries

"God bless Andrea," said Maggie as the women went through the contents of the box. The box had come from Woodbury and was marked 'For the Ladies'. Carol, Maggie, Beth and Michonne opened it to find a mother lode of birth control and clothing. "Oh, my God," said Carol, pulling out a red lace bra with holes where the nipples should be. "Awesome," breathed Beth at a bra and matching panties in delicate pink. "A widowmaker!" exclaimed Maggie when she saw a package of black lace and hose. Michonne poked around the box and quickly shoved something in her pocket. "Tyreese sees it first," she said wickedly, sauntering out the door with a smile.

They laughed together thinking about the irony of sexy clothes in the drab prison. "I want an anniversary," insisted Beth. The other women looked at her. She replied, "An anniversary is something special. Something you take time for. I just want Merle to myself for a night. Maybe two. No watch, no clearing out cellblocks. Just me and him," she said wistfully looking at her new outfit.

The other two women looked at each other. An anniversary was something special but who knew the date in this day and age? Maggie grinned, "I guess an anniversary is what you make it, not something that happens at some predetermined date." Carol grinned back. "You're right Maggie. Any day can be an anniversary!" Beth agreed. "Why can't tomorrow or the next day or the next be our anniversaries?"

The women laughed. "What would I do for an anniversary?" Carol mused out loud. Suddenly the answer came to her and she held her hands in front of her red face laughing. "What is it?" asked Maggie. Carol tried to compose herself. "Daryl's leather jacket," she said. "Imagine me wearing that and not much else!" Beth gasped. "And Merle's vest. With only my panties and a bra?" Maggie clucked at her. "Gross!" she said.

Beth looked at her reproachfully. "He's basically your brother now Maggie," she said. "And he makes me happy. Over and over again. In the same night..." she said breathily. Maggie shook her head to get the image of Merle touching her sister out of her head.

"Glen is so sensitive," Maggie said. "He always cares about what I want. We always have to get things done pretty fast so usually it's me taking the lead and calling the shots. Not that I mind being charge," she confided.

Carol giggled. "Once Daryl's turned on it's pretty much over," she said," looking up shyly. "I mean he feels so good we both..." she trailed off. The women looked at each other. "I think we have a pact," said Maggie triumphantly, "shall we set a day for our anniversaries?" The women all laughed. "I can't imagine anything better," said Carol, hugging both of them.

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Daryl looked around the warden's office. "What's all this for?" he asked. Carol pulled him farther inside and said, "Our anniversary, silly". The corner of his mouth twitched. "And how do you know it's our anniversary?" he asked. She faced him and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "Because I say it is," she said. "Because I want it to be." He snorted and placed his arms around her waist. They stood for some time kissing and holding each other. He lifted his head to scan the room and his eyes fell on the bed.

"Nice big bed," he said, not able to hide his wicked smile. She ran her hands up his chest. "Why don't you go get comfortable in it? I've got to do a little something." His eyebrows raised and he regarded her for a minute then he squeezed her ass and walked to the bed. He kicked his boots off and settled on the mattress with a sigh.

Carol walked to the closet and opened the door so it blocked Daryl's view. She took off her clothes with trembling hands and put on the red bra and panties that she had stashed there. God, they were so sexy! She then donned Daryl's black leather biker jacket and fluffed her hair. _I can't believe I'm doing this. God I hope he likes it or I'm going to feel like a colossal ass._

She took a deep breath then walked out from behind the door. Daryl was sitting propped up on the pillows, his arms behind his head and his eyes closed. She smiled because it was so rare to see him relax. She almost hated to disturb him. She walked to the desk and gingerly rested her ass against it. She leaned back on her straight arms and crossed her legs and hoped she looked sexy.

"Happy anniversary," she said softly, putting on a half smile that she knew was sexy. Daryl's eyes opened and when he saw her he sat bolt upright on the bed. He gaped at her. "What the fuck?" he said in wonder. He made a move to stand up and she said teasingly, "No. You have to stay there." He swallowed and sat back down, never taking his eyes off her. She stood up slowly and walked along the length of the desk, trailing her finger on the desktop. She leaned back against it when she reached the other side and looked at him. He hadn't moved and he hadn't taken his eyes off of her. She saw the pulse beating in his neck.

"Do you like it so far?" she asked, the corners of her mouth turned up seductively. "Turn around," he said in a husky voice. She slowly pushed herself off of the desk and turned on the balls of her feet. She leaned down with exaggerated slowness and placed her elbows on the table. She cocked one hip and looked over her shoulder. Daryl was pulling his shirt off while trying not to take his eyes off her. When she shifted the biker jacket moved forward and the dangling belt brushed her leg. She smiled wickedly and grasped the belt. She bit her bottom lip and slapped her ass softly with it. She was rewarded with a strangled grunt from Daryl. _This is going to be fun_, she thought.

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Glen squinted from the tower. He saw Michonne checking the gate below. "Why the hell is Michonne down there? She knows that we have watch tonight," he called over his shoulder to Maggie. Maggie's voice floated out from inside the tower. "Because I asked her to cover us for an hour." Glen shook his head. "Why?" he called as he walked through the door. What he saw stopped him dead in his tracks. Maggie stood before him in a black lace bra and matching panties, black garter belt and black thigh high stockings. On top of her head was his favorite baseball cap. She smiled at him. "I hope you don't mind that I borrowed your hat, I was a little chilly." Glen looked her up and down and wondered if he was dreaming.

He moved closer and slowly walked all the way around her, running a single finger over the lace of her bra then around the lace of her panties. He stopped behind her and leaned in as close as he could without touching her. He put his mouth next to her ear and growled softly, "Get on your hands and knees now." Maggie moaned and did exactly what she was told.

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Beth was glad to back in Woodbury. She wasn't ashamed about enjoying the creature comforts in life. Andrea let them have the governor's apartment for the night while Merle helped her with security logistics. When Beth confided in her the surprise she had in store for Merle, Andrea's eyes sparkled. "Wait here," she said and returned a few minutes later with a shoebox. She handed it to Beth who looked inside. "How do I use these?" asked Beth and Andrea gave her a short and enjoyable lesson.

When Merle got in they had dinner in the apartment. Afterwards Beth brought out a bottle of bourbon and a cigar and smiled at him brightly. "Tonight's our anniversary," she stated as she set them down in front of him. He cocked his head, "How's that now sugar?" She straddled him on the stuffed chair and put her arms around his neck. She looked into his eyes and said, "Because I want it to be so I say it is." She planted a kiss on his lips that started out chaste and became heated in a hurry. She pulled back and smiled. "Awright then," he said approvingly.

"I didn't get ya nothin darlin'," he continued, his eyes dropping to the V of her shirt. She smiled and said, "I think what I have planned will cover both of us." Merle grinned at her and lit his cigar chuckling. She curled in his lap and they sat in silence as he enjoyed his treats. He lifted his glass and held it towards her. She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "More for me," he sighed happily. _Now if it was root beer I would drink every last drop,_ she thought.

When the cigar was mostly gone she suggested he make himself comfortable on the bed and she excused herself. She turned most of the lights out except for those around the bed and walked to the bathroom. In the bathroom she put on eyeliner and lipstick and shook her hair loose. She bent over to fluff it up and arranged it with her fingers into what she thought a wild girl might wear. She put on the new lace pale pink bra and panties. They were so pretty! The bra had a bow in the middle and the panties had matching bows on the hips. She put Merle's black leather vest on over it and checked herself in the mirror. The very bottom of her ass peeked out from the back of the vest. _Pretty sexy_ she thought to herself.

She opened the shoebox to look at the pumps Andrea had loaned her. The shiny black leather reflected her face as she took in the 4-inch heels. She was going to rock these shoes. She thought of the music videos her father had forbidden her to watch. She had watched them any way and had a good idea how to be vampy.

She cautiously opened the bathroom door and took a deep breath. She had to make it from the bathroom to the bed without breaking an ankle. She slowly put one foot in front of the other, loosening her hips like Andrea had showed her. She kept her eyes on Merle as she approached the bed. He had his shirt off and was looking at a hunting magazine. She salivated as she took in his powerful shoulders and boxer's body. He looked up and squinted, Beth was just outside the range of the light. _There's something goin on_, he thought.

Slowly she stepped into the light and leaned against a pillar, her side to him. She looked over her shoulder at Merle who was motionless. His cheek twitched and he looked at her like a lion stalking a gazelle calf. She intentionally widened her eyes and bit her full bottom lip. "Andrea showed me some dance moves," she said. "Want to see?" She didn't wait for him to answer as she closed her eyes and leaned back into the pillar and slowly bent her knees and moved her ass downwards, then came back up with an arched back and checked him again.

He had moved to the end of the bed so he could see the entire length of her. He sat there now, his only visible movement the rise of his chest and his tongue slowly rolling around his mouth. She stepped away from the pillar and faced him. She parted her legs and slowly rotated her head on her neck. Then she turned her back to him, raising her arms above her head and seductively rotating her hips. She tilted her head back and enjoyed the fluid movement. She could feel the back of the vest moving up and down, alternately revealing then covering the pink panties. It made her hot to know that he was focusing on her pert ass.

She looked back behind her as she separated her legs and slowly began to bend over for him. His neck muscles bulged and his eyes flashed dangerously. She smiled. It always surprised her how fast he could move for a big man. Before she knew it she was being lifted then crushed under him on the bed, his tongue plundering her mouth and a finger in her twat. She emitted a gasp that turned into a moan and suddenly her legs were apart, the crotch of her underwear pushed to one side, and he was inside her. Merle pumped her savagely then he stiffened and groaned. He shuddered with the pleasure of the release and fell on top of her, sweaty and panting. She reveled in the feeling of his full weight on her and smiled at the ceiling. _He didn't last thirty seconds _she thought triumphantly.

When he recovered he raised his heavy arms to frame her face as kissed her slowly and deeply. She returned his kiss with heat, his warmth was inside her and she wanted satisfaction. He moved down to explore the new bra with his mouth. "I may chew this off," he rasped. "But you keep them shoes on."

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Carol was on her side, her legs splayed and her arms reaching behind her to clutch Daryl's hair. He was behind her on his side, his hands on her hips. His thrusts became urgent and he rolled on top of her from behind, driving himself into her. She moved her hands down her sides then behind and underneath her to fondle his balls. "Fuck," he grunted. "FUCK, Carol!" he moaned as he drove relentlessly into her core. She smiled broadly in the dark.

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Maggie knelt on the floor in front of Glen, eagerly complying with his curt commands. He gazed down on her. "You say you want it. I don't think you know what you're asking for," he said sternly. "Now take it all," he ordered. He slowly fucked her mouth. "You'll get it when I give it to you," he said. Maggie whimpered in pleasure.

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"Did you notice my new tattoo?" asked Beth innocently. He pulled at her lingerie, kissing every inch of exposed skin until he found it. A heart with a lightning bolt going through it. And inside the heart was written, 'Property of Merle'. His teeth sunk into her ass as he moaned then her panties were whisked off and he was inside her again.

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"Please Daryl don't stop. Oh God, oh God Daryl!"

"You have my permission to come now Maggie." "Mmmmmmm Jesus, Glen!"

(exasperated) "Merle!" Pause with panting. "I owe ya two sugar. Ya keep them shoes on."

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At breakfast the next morning Carol and Maggie glowed with the aura of two thoroughly sexed up women. They smiled lazily at each other and slowly drank their coffee. Daryl's hair stuck out in every direction. He and Glen ate ravenously and asked for second helpings. Both of them shot glances at their women periodically as if to make sure they were still there.

The outside door opened and Beth entered with an armful of her overnight things. "How was Woodbury?" asked Rick. Beth humphed petulantly and stalked through the kitchen and up the stairs without a word. Merle trailed after her looking worn out. Michonne watched Beth flounce away and said, "Mmmm hmmmm," to Tyreese. Tyreese was silently thankful that he worked Michonne good on their anniversary night.

Merle wearily sat next to Daryl and accepted a cup of coffee. When he finished he rubbed his face and yawned. He turned to Daryl and confided, "I may not be good at anniversaries."

**What do you think about this one? Please review and let me know!**


	2. Chapter 2 - Wedding(s)

**By now you all know that I'm a Mether first and a Caryler second. Bear with me as I start this story with my favorite couple. To Mr. Rooker, Mr. Reedus, Ms. McBride and Ms. Kinney - I warned you that I would only marry you off if it was humorous. So here you go.**

The Wedding(s)

The truce between Andrea's Woodbury and Rick's prison group was hammered out. Rick's group would stay at the prison and with help from Woodbury volunteers would secure it in its entirety for occupation by both groups. Andrea would make sure that the prison was well defended and help out with supplies when needed.

Now that they were largely relieved from around the clock watches Rick's group had a chance to plan their course of action. This involved many trips to Woodbury. Merle, Glen and Daryl, who met with Andrea to decide that the prison group would clean out the rest of the Woodbury supplies to stock the prison, conducted the most recent trip. In two days at Woodbury they were able to assemble supplies that would make life easier at the prison - more artillery, food, clothes, shoes, medical supplies, contraceptives and several real beds that were all loaded into a stock trailer for transport.

The night before Beth had waited in bed for Merle but when she started foreplay he fell deep asleep from exhaustion. She sighed and grudgingly went to sleep. The next morning he rose before she did to get vehicles together for the Woodbury trip and they had no chance to be together before he left that afternoon. He ran his hand through her hair as she stood by the car, frustrated and sad. He tried to comfort her by saying, "Look missy, I'll make it up to ya, hear? Soon I'll be puttin it to ya mornin', noon and night on our new bed". He ground his hips into hers to illustrate his point. She pushed her feelings aside and smiled and kissed him goodbye making sure that he got a lot of tongue action so he wouldn't forget about her.

Two days later they pulled their convoy into the prison and she burst from the cellblock. As Merle got out of the truck her heard her boots skipping across the pavement and caught her as she jumped into his arms. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and kissed him heartily. "Miss me sugar?" he whispered hoarsely as he squeezed her ass. She nodded rapidly. "Yer pa's comin out," he said, gently dropping her back to the pavement.

She was happy and humming as she helped unload supplies. Rick and the other men were having a deep discussion in the prison yard. Beth was surprised when they turned the cars around to face the gate. She looked at Rick questioningly. He addressed the group that was gathered around the cars.

"Andrea's got men meeting our group in town to loot the box stores today. It will take all day but with Maggie and Glen going along we should be able to get the majority of supplies loaded up and back here by dark. Let's make sure these vehicles are unloaded then get them on their way."

Beth looked at Merle, who grimaced and scratched his head. He approached her and said "I didn't get a chance to tell ya about the plan." Beth didn't know if she was more angry or sad. She decided to go with sad. "Oh Merle," she said piteously, her shoulders hunching. She turned from him and walked back to the prison, kicking a rock in front of her. She slouched into the laundry room because it was the most internal room in the cleared portion of the prison and there she wouldn't hear them leave. She worked through mountains of laundry while the others excitedly picked over the new stuff. Soon she felt bad for not saying goodbye. _What if he gets hurt or killed and he thinks I don't love him? _ She frowned and cried over the laundry.

Merle watched her go wishing he had time to pull her into the showers for a quick fuck. Sometimes he forgot how young she was and he felt like a first class shitheel for letting his woman go unsatisfied. _I'll figure out how to make it up to her_, he thought.

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Carol helped Beth hang and fold laundry and they discussed the plan for the evening. Carol sheepishly asked if Beth would take overnight Judith duty because she needed some alone time with Daryl and Rick was taking night watch. Beth couldn't say no because Carol was always sacrificing herself for others. _Somebody should be getting some action,_ thought Beth glumly.

The group that went on the run came back after dark so the Woodbury people that accompanied them needed to spend the night. Beth, Carol and Carl helped get things set up for them in B block then Beth reheated dinner for everyone. She and Carol distributed plates of hot food to everyone in the kitchen. When Beth put Merle's down she made sure to slam it hard enough to make his canned peas jump onto the table. He narrowed his eyes and growled something only to have Hershel raise his eyebrows at him. Merle hunched over his plate and ate sullenly, occasionally glaring at Beth and planning to tease her until she begged for it tonight.

Judith was finicky that night and didn't eat well. Beth tried to burp the gas out of her but it was stuck. It didn't help Beth's state of mind to hear the sighs and moans coming from Daryl's cell. The baby slept fitfully in her arms and after a long while Beth was able to get her down. Finally she made it to their cell where Merle awaited her in their new bed. His shirt was off and he was lying on his back with his arms behind his head. She kicked off her boots and jeans and crawled over the top of him. She was panting before she even met his lips and she wasted no time rubbing against him and slipping her tongue in his mouth. She wanted satisfaction now.

She wriggled out the rest of her clothes as she writhed on top of him. She was delighted when he flipped her and mounted her but then she realized he still had pants on. He took over slowing the tempo of her kisses and she grunted in frustration. He chuckled and moved to her neck. She was pinned and getting pissed. Softly his tongue circled her nipples then he sucked them each to a point. She was moaning and clawing at his back with her legs wrapped around him. She couldn't stop moving her hips against him. He moved his hardness away from her as he moved his mouth down and she tried to pull him back up. He slowly nuzzled her pubic hair, inhaling her scent and lazily flicking his tongue over her swollen clit. She thought her heart would explode.

She was surprised when he flipped her over and started rubbing the scruff of his beard over her back. He kissed and tongued the two dimples above her hips and moved his way down to kiss her ass cheeks. His finger slipped into her pussy as he bit her ass and she jumped and begged him as she insistently fucked his finger.

He rose to kneeling and undid his fly then pulled his pants off. She looked behind her to see that his erect cock was swollen and purple. She waited impatiently and raised herself into the air as he ripped open the condom package with his teeth and rolled it over his hardness. She closed her eyes anticipating his entry.

"Fuck," Merle swore. Beth looked back. The condom had broken. She was just processing this when Judith's scream pierced the quiet of the sleeping cellblock. "No," Beth moaned. She fell onto the bed with tears of frustration stinging her eyes. She cried quietly while she threw her clothes back on. Merle saw her tears and felt a pang of guilt. He knew he shouldn't have teased her. "Aw sugar," he started. Beth shook her head and stomped off to feed the baby. By the time she got back Merle was asleep.

She awoke at first light and reached over to grab the box of condoms then growled and hopped onto Merle. She was in charge and was determined that nothing was going to screw this up. The cellblock awoke to the sound of her muffled screams as he dutifully paid her what she was owed.

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Carl had carefully made a map of the region with all the store locations marked and color coded with their status as far as supplies. Rick pored over it to devise a logical plan. They needed gasoline above all other things so Rick ordered Daryl, Glen and Merle to the nearest convenience store that hadn't already been looted. The three set about preparing for the trip the next morning. Merle walked swiftly to Hershel's cell. He found the old man resting in bed with his hurt leg propped.

Merle stopped in the doorway. "Need to talk to ya," he said gruffly. After Merle left Hershel looked down at his folded hands. _Not what I would have asked for but I trust You in Your wisdom_, he prayed silently. Then he chuckled. _His ways are mysterious._

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It took them several hours but they were able to get enough gasoline to fill all the cans they had brought. They also grabbed cases of motor oil and transmission fluid while they were there. Once they were loaded up Merle nodded towards a small mom and pop jewelry store. "Cover me," he barked. Daryl squinted at him. "Aint gonna be many guns in there," he said. Merle faced him and fixed him with a steely gaze. "I'm gettin' missy a ring," he said. "Make an honest woman outta her." Daryl gaped while Merle strapped his gun on his shoulder and jogged to the storefront.

Glen's head spun. He thought about Beth getting a ring from Merle. And about Beth showing that ring off. And the first person that Beth would show the ring - Maggie. Who he had started dating before Beth and Merle even met. He envisioned Maggie stabbing him in the throat in his sleep.

"Shit,' said Glen. "Cover me too." And he jogged to the store.

Minutes later the two came out grinning. They jogged back towards Daryl who was looking at them like they had each grown a second head. Merle puffed, "Wasn't sure what she liked so I just grabbed a bunch of 'em. Shoulda stole jewelry instead of dealin' drugs before the world went to shit." Glen skidded up to them. "I got one. It's the one she'd pick, I know it." Merle looked at Daryl with a grin. "Want one brother? Or do I have to ask her for ya?" he asked pointedly. Daryl answered with a 'Pfft" and got behind the wheel.

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Merle took two of the old prison mattresses up to the roof when he got home from the run. He carefully squirrelled the rings away in his ammo bag so she wouldn't find them. When she fell asleep that night he jammed them in his pants pocket. At first light he woke her up quietly. "Come on angel, got a surprise for ya."

She took his hand as he cautiously made their way to the roof. He surveyed and found it was clear. She smiled when she saw the mattresses. He turned to her and took her into his arms. "I wanna make love to ya while the sun comes up," he said. She beamed at him and encircled his head with her arms. He knew how she missed the woods at the farm and this was the safest way to surround her with them.

When they were done she lay against his chest and listened to the woods wake up just as she had always done as a child. In that moment she could almost imagine a world with no walkers again. She lightly plopped on top of him and nuzzled her nose on his. "Thank you," she said. He looked into her eyes and saw the gentle love she had for him in their depths. He kissed her softly and hugged her to him. "Gotta get goin'," he said. She nodded, kissed his chin and stood up to dress.

He dressed and looked at her standing in the early morning sun and almost lost his nerve. He didn't deserve anything so beautiful or good. But if he didn't ask he'd regret it for whatever was left of his miserable life.

"C'mere," he said, pulling her towards him. He sank to his knees and buried his face in her stomach, his arms encircling her waist. She smiled tenderly and stroked the short brown curls on the top of his head. The words that she usually thought when they were intimate popped into her head. _I'm his and he's mine._

He looked up at her and held her eyes. "Ain't got no right to ask ya this - yer a lady and I'm not mucha anythin'. But I love ya. Think ya wanna marry this ole beat up redneck?" he asked, his voice heavy with emotion. Her face broke into a huge sunny smile. "Yes," she breathed. "Yes." His breath loosened in his chest and he exhaled. "I asked yer pa first and he said OK. I knew ya'd want that." Beth was running her hands through his short hair and smiling, barely able to contain her energy_. OMG, wait til I tell Maggie! _

He dug in his pocket. "Wasn't sure what ya'd like so you can pick." He laid the rings on the mattress and she gasped. There was only one that she noticed and it was perfect - a pear cut diamond on yellow gold. And the diamond was BIG! She hunted around and found two diamond bands to flank it. She tried them on and they were all a bit loose but she could fix that with yarn. She looked up with her eyes sparkling. "What do you think?" she asked. "Not as purty as you, but nice," he said in an amused voice. She gave him the rest of the rings and he pocketed them then she took the ones off of her finger. She handed him the two bands. "You put these on during the ceremony," she said. "Ceremony?" he asked. _Damn, I thought this was it. Ceremony?_ She laughed. "You put this one on me now," she said, handing him the one with the rock. At first he tried to put it on her middle finger and she corrected him, laughing and reaching up to kiss him. She was hopping up and down. "Let's go tell everybody," she said, practically vibrating with excitement.

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Glen woke up first and he was already nervous. Shit, Merle's probably already done it, he thought. Glen had asked and received permission from Hershel last night but he didn't know how to do this. He had hoped that if he slept on it an idea would come to him. He didn't want to do it in the prison, it was too dark and depressing. He ticked off possible sites. Motor pool, prison yard, watch tower. None of them were particularly romantic.

"Maggie, wake up," he whispered. "We're going on a drive."

"Why are we here again?" asked Maggie as they topped the ridge. They had only had to hit three walkers on the way out which was pretty good. "Something to show you," he said again. "At daybreak?" Maggie yawned. He parked and sighed in relief. The trees were still blooming. "I wanted to show you the dogwoods and redbuds. They're almost as pretty as you." Maggie looked at the immense span of pink and white flowering trees. "They're beautiful," she said turning to kiss him.

"Um," said Glen. Then he froze. He couldn't get the words out. He was scared shitless. She looked at him. "Are you OK?" she asked with concern. "You look like you have a fever." Glen emitted a queer high-pitched laugh. "Just a fever for you, ha ha." Maggie looked at him with a frown. "Maggie," he trailed. She shook her head sarcastically. "Spit it out Glen," she said. She noticed that there was sweat dripping down the sides of his face.

"Shit," he said. "I had a plan to say something nice and I can't remember it and I just want to ask you to marry me." It all came out in a rush and he slapped his hand over his mouth. He didn't want it to sound this stupid. "What?" asked Maggie in disbelief. Glen dug in his pocket and produced the ring. "Maggie Greene, I'm not good enough for you, but would you please marry me?" Maggie screamed and hugged him. "Yes!" she shouted. She inspected the ring. It was an emerald cut diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds on white gold. "Put it on! Oh God it's beautiful, I love it!" They made out until the walkers that were drawn by her shouts reached the car.

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Daryl watched Carol as she slept. He couldn't imagine loving anyone else. He wondered when the shit was going to hit the fan today and how she'd react. He pressed himself against her back and buried his face in the crook of her neck.

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Beth burst into the kitchen. "Where's Maggie?" she asked excitedly, hopping up and down. Just then Maggie burst in from outside calling, "Beth!" They ran to each other and lifted their hands at the same time then screamed while they hugged. "We're getting married! Oh my God!" They carefully inspected each other's rings and hugged again. "Let's get married together!" said Beth. "Oh my god, yes!" squealed Maggie. They jumped around the room showing everyone their rings.

The men had largely shrunk back in a row against the wall. "Together?" gulped Glen. "Ceremony," spat Merle pinching the bridge of his nose. Daryl smirked quietly besides them. Rick laughed. "You two have no idea do you? After you go through this you'll know why most people only do it once."

Daryl looked over at Carol. She was inspecting the rings with a huge smile on her face. She kissed both girls and laughed when they hopped away. She put her hands over her mouth and watched them with her eyes crinkled, tears of happiness flowing. She looked over at Daryl and smiled broadly. She was so happy for them.

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The women sorted through the clothes that were sent from Woodbury. Michonne found a hot black minidress that made all the women go 'Ooo!" She grabbed a pair of black heels and squirreled them away in her cell. Carol found a long sundress patterned in a spectrum of blues that highlighted her eyes. A pair of long silver earrings and some blue flip-flops and she was done. She hugged them all and left to hang the dress in the laundry room. Maggie and Beth went through every piece of clothing. Maggie found a white sundress in her size and frowned. _How to make this a wedding dress?_ She found a pair of white sandals that would work and a set of fake pearls. She sighed. _No veil. That's what would have really made it. Oh well, this will work._

Beth sifted through the clothes with rapt concentration. There had to be something here she liked. Beth had been planning this day since she was three years old. She had planned a beautiful gown with a long train and six bridesmaids and elegant flowers and a catered dinner with a quartet playing classical music.

The only dress in her size that had any kind of style was red. Not just red but fire engine red. She looked at it dejectedly. "Oh Bethy," said Maggie, reading the signs. "Maybe hot colors are the new style for weddings." Beth's eyes filled with tears. "Yeah for hookers," she said sadly. Maggie rushed over to her and hugged her. "We'll fix it honey. Somehow we'll fix it, OK?" Beth nodded and took the dress upstairs to the cell she and Merle occupied.

He was there cleaning the weapons in his hunting bag. "Any luck missy?" he asked not noticing her dejected expression. Beth shrugged and hung the dress off the mirror above the sink. Merle glanced at it and said, "Looks good." Beth's chin trembled. "I hate it," she said in a trembling voice. "Why?" asked Merle mystified. Looked like a dress to him. "Look at it," she said in a thick voice. He looked at it again.

"Why 'cause it's red? Well hell sugar ain't no one thanks you a virgin anyways," he said. Beth exhaled sharply, blowing out tears. "Oh," she said as the hot knife sank in her guts. She backed up to the door and sobbed as she quickly walked out. She blindly went down the stairs and headed outside.

Carol appeared in his doorway. She had been folding clothes in Daryl's cell and heard the whole thing. "How dare you?" she hissed at Merle. "What?" yelled Merle who by now was wishing weddings were never invented. "You just shattered her. Every girl plans their wedding from the time they're kids. And you just smashed her dreams and called her a whore." Merle stood up and pointed his barrel brush at Carol menacingly. "I ain't never called her no whore," he growled. Carol rolled her eyes in exasperation and motioned to the dress. "Well that does," she said emphatically.

Merle was fed up. "it's just a day. What the fuck is everybody het up about? Act like you don't remember we're up to our necks in shit." Carol took a few steps into his cell and ran a hand through her hair. "Merle, a girl's wedding day is the only day of her life where everyone looks at her. It's her day. Beth's sensitive and she's only going to get married once in her life. She needs it to be special." Merle snorted in exasperation. "Well what the fuck ya want me to do about it?" he seethed. Carol sighed. There were only two options, best to opt for the safest. "Take her to Andrea,' she said gently.

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Beth twirled in front of the mirror while Andrea looked on. "We've only got a few," said Andrea. "We'd need you to bring it back." She smiled warmly as she looked at Beth smoothing the dress with awe. it was made of chiffon with a scoop neck and beading and had a small diamond shaped opening just under the neckline. It was tea length and the white shoes that went with it were only about half a size too big. To top it off there was a floral rhinestone comb for her hair. For the first time since the apocalypse happened Beth felt beautiful. She hugged Andrea and cried.

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"You'll shower and you'll like it. You're shaving too. And while you're at it trim your beard." Daryl looked at Carol in disbelief. "It ain't my wedding," he protested. She took a step closer and bored her eyes into his. "Half the people in your family are getting married today including your brother. You're going to look presentable." She handed him a clean set of clothes from the Woodbury load. New underwear and socks, black khakis and a light blue button up shirt. Daryl shuffled into the shower wondering when the hell everyone had gone crazy. Carol opened the door and yelled in, "And don't you dare take the sleeves off!" Rick was already in there scrubbing shampoo into Carl's hair. Carl was protesting as mightily as Daryl. Hershel had just finished and was leaving to get out of the way.

The two grooms soon joined them. Merle's military shower took exactly two minutes and thirty seconds. He spent five times that at the sink shaving and primping. Glen on the other hand looked like he was going to vomit. He stood under the cold water until Daryl smacked him on the shoulder. Merle looked at Glen's reflection in the mirror. "Don't nobody order no take out," he said. "Looks like short roll there's gettin cold feet. May not come back from the delivery." Glen was too nervous to even tell Merle to shove it.

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After the women kicked the freshly scrubbed men out they started their preparations. Carol had used a precious cake mix to make a wedding cake and she let Carl frost it with canned frosting. _Good thing these things are so full of preservatives that they never spoil_, she thought. All the girls had showered in the morning and let their hair air dry. Maggie was the one that had the rebar idea. She brought in a short piece of rebar that she had scrubbed clean. "Curling iron!" she said triumphantly. They heated the rebar over the stove flame and carefully curled Maggie and Beth's hair in the front.

Beth looked at Maggie knowing that she had really wanted a veil. Beth looked at the beautiful comb in her lap. She handed it across the table. "Here Maggie," she said. "You wear it." Maggie squealed with delight and Carol carefully wrapped and pinned her hair then set the comb in it. Maggie looked in the mirror. "Wow," she said. "I forgot what it was like to care about how I look."

Beth looked at the pile of flowers on the table. "Can you do a French knot and put flowers in it?" she asked Carol. Carol said, "Well I'll do my best!" Soon the girls agreed that their hair looked fantastic. Maggie looked around and said conspiratorially, "I've got some stuff to share." She walked to her cell and came back with her duffel bag. She pulled out brand new cosmetics still in the package; eyeliner, mascara, lipstick and powder. She looked at Michonne and said, "I couldn't find darker powder. There was a walker following me." Michonne shrugged and said, "Lipstick is enough." Maggie grinned. "Last but not least," she said. She pulled out a bottle of peach schnapps and a bottle of butterscotch schnapps.

Just then Andrea walked in. "Hi guys, what's going on?" She stopped when she saw Maggie and Beth. "Oh your hair is beautiful!" She spied the cosmetics on the table. "Can I do your makeup?" she asked. "I'd love it," said Maggie and Beth agreed. They broke open the bottles and tried the liquor by swigs. The peach schnapps was passed to Beth and she regarded it like poison. Maggie laughed. "No time to be a puritan now Bethy, you're about to give yourself away to a man." Beth smelled it then tasted it. "Ew," she said as it went down, "it burns." She thought a minute. "But it's sweet like candy." She took another swig and winced. "Let me try the other one," she said.

Andrea started in on their makeup. It turned out that she had an expert touch especially with eyes. Carol and Michonne gaped at the girls. They had never seen them made up before and they looked so elegant. "Did you get blush?" asked Carol. "Nope, no time," said Maggie. Carol cocked her head. "Then why are Beth's cheeks so red?" Beth looked around. "Hmmm?" she asked. She started to laugh. "Oh my God. I'm marrying a biker and Maggie's marrying a Korean!" Beth laughed harder, holding her stomach. Maggie shook the nearly empty butterscotch schnapps bottle that was in front of Beth. "Uh oh," she said.

Quickly they tried to get some coffee into Beth who tried to pour schnapps into it. It was getting close to the ceremony and Hershel was already inside setting up the area where the two couples would stand in the cellblock. Andrea walked Beth around to try to work off the alcohol. Maggie was in her cell with Carol getting on her dress and Andrea wondered what to do with a very animated and slightly unsteady Beth. She asked Michonne to get Daryl or Merle.

Michonne sauntered into the courtyard and consulted with Daryl. Daryl shook his head and found Merle who was drinking bourbon in the motor pool with Glen. "Hey," Daryl said. "There's a little problem with Beth."

Merle stood in the doorway of Hershel's cell. He was dressed in a black button up shirt and black pants. Andrea was trying to fix Beth's smeared makeup before she got her into the dress. When Beth saw Merle she squealed and rushed unsteadily to him, jumping into his arms. She kissed him and said, "I'm gonna marry your big fine ass. Hey! You're not supposed to see me in my dress!" Merle looked down at her frowning. "Sugar you ain't in no dress and you're shitfaced." Beth laughed then laughed harder. "Shitfaced," she said. "That word is hilarious!" Hershel showed up beside Merle. "Do we have a problem here?" Beth hung onto Merle's neck and looked at Hershel. She said, "Daddy, I'm going to marry his big fine ass. I love him so much." Hershel's eyebrows hit his hairline. Andrea pulled Beth down off of Merle. "Come on honey, we've got to get you dressed." She looked questioningly at Merle. "Sugar you gonna be able to walk?" he asked. Beth looked at him, confused. "I don't get a horse?" Andrea sighed.

Soon everyone was assembled in the cellblock and Hershel began his sermon. Beth and Merle stood on the left side and Maggie and Glen on the right. Hershel's sermon concentrated on the fragility of life and the strength of hope. He used the new couples as an example of the hope that their community needed to share to survive. The small crowd of people stood around them in a half circle and prayed the blessing together. Daryl and Carol stood off to the left so he could be close to Merle. Daryl turned to look at her. She was gazing at the couples with joy on her face and tears in her eyes. He'd never seen her as beautiful as she was tonight in that dress with a touch of makeup around her eyes and mouth.

Hershel prepared the couples for their vows and Daryl looked over at Carol. "You want all this mess?" he asked. She looked at him surprised. "A wedding?" she asked. She reached down and held his hand. "Not unless you do." She reached up to kiss him then turned her attention back to the ceremony. He cleared his throat. "Cause we can," he mumbled. She looked at him questioningly and he swallowed hard. He dug the ring out of his pocket. "You wanna?" Carol's mouth opened in surprise. "Here? Now?" she whispered. He nodded slightly and she beamed. "Yes," she said simply.

Daryl pulled her up to the makeshift altar and stood before Hershel. Hershel looked at them questioningly. Daryl cleared his throat, obviously nervous. "Can you fit us in?" he asked. The girls gasped in surprise and Glen said, "Whoa!" Merle laughed and said, "I'll be damned boy you finally did it." Hershel motioned them to stand on the other side of Glen and Maggie. Daryl and Carol still held hands and Carol had her mouth covered with her other hand. She was blushing and beaming and crying and laughing all at the same time.

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"Do you Merle Maynard Dixon take Bethany Josephine Greene to be your lawfully wedded wife to have and to hold from this day forward?"

"Hell yeah, it's why I'm standin' here ain't it?"

"Do you Bethany Josephine...

(whisper) "I'm about to marry your big fine ass" (rumbling) "Listen to yer pa sugar"

"Do YOU Bethany Josephine Greene take Merle Maynard Dixon to be your lawfully wedded husband to have and to hold from this day forward?" (stern whisper) "Say I do Bethany"

(giggling) "I do Bethany"

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(sighing) "Do you Glen Kim Rhee take Margaret Aileen Greene to be your lawfully wedded wife to have and to hold from this day forward?"

"I do. God Maggie you're so beautiful."

"Do you Margaret Aileen Greene take Glen Kim Rhee to be your lawfully wedded husband to have and to hold from this day forward?

"Yes, I do!"

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"Do you Daryl..." (whispered) "What's your middle name son?"

"Daryl's fine"

(from the left side) "I'll tell ya his middle name. Whatsa matter boy, ashamed of ya family name?"

(glowering) "DARYL'S FINE!"

(sighing) "Do you Daryl Dixon take Carol Anne Peletier to be your lawfully wedded wife to have and to hold from this day forward?"

(softly) Yeah.

"Do you Carol Anne Peletier take Daryl Dixon to be your lawfully wedded husband to have and to hold from this day forward?"

Carol beamed through her tears and nodded. "I do," she said.

(whisper from the left) "Delton" (giggling)

"SHUT UP MERLE!"

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After the couples kissed and were introduced everyone gathered for a hot meal of ramen noodles with shredded rabbit followed by cake. A bottle of wine and a bottle of whiskey appeared and made the rounds though everyone kept them from Beth. Michonne and Tyreese surprised the couples with a duet of 'Just You and I'. Most noticed that Rick and Andrea danced slowly to the song.

Beth was the first to want to leave. Everyone in the cellblock who had been living with Merle and Beth's exuberant sex life had unanimously voted to let them have the warden's office for the night. She had spent the morning getting it ready and she wanted to get there. She made her way to Merle who was drinking bourbon with Rick and Daryl.

Merle's arm automatically went around her when she brushed against him. "I've been thinking about our honeymoon night," she said, a wide smile on her flushed face and the flowers in her hair hanging by their stems. "You got a treat for old Merle?" Merle asked her with faux innocence, his eyes hungry. He had almost swallowed his tongue when he saw her in that dress and now he wanted to get it off of her. She smiled then rose up on her toes and cupped her hand to his ear.

As Beth whispered Merle's face changed from surprise to incredulity. "Where the hell did you learn that?" he asked hoarsely. She smiled at him. "I just thought about it today," she said sweetly. Merle looked at her hard. "You thought about THAT?" he asked. She looked at him seriously and said "Yeah, but I'm not sure where the bottom leg would go".

The words rushed out of Merle's mouth. "We're gonna find out", he barked as he ducked low and slung Beth over his shoulder. "Honeymoon's started", he called over his shoulder as he strode out of the kitchen and towards the bathrooms. The revelers could hear Beth laughing and squealing as they made their way down to the office.

Maggie watched Merle carry Beth away. "That's so romantic," she said wistfully. Glen agreed and said without thinking, "i'd do it but I don't think I could lift you." Hershel winced and Maggie's mouth dropped open. "What did you say?" she asked indignantly. "Oh shit, sorry Maggie I wasn't thinking. I can probably carry you," he said quickly. Maggie growled and stalked off to their cell with Glen running behind her, "Aw Maggie!"

Carol examined her ring. It was a small heart shaped diamond on a thin gold band. She thought it was the most beautiful thing in the world. Daryl caught her looking at it and smirked. The story of Merle and Glen pilfering the jewelry store had made the rounds and Carol had heard it. She looked at Daryl and said, "I didn't know that you went into the jewelry store with them." He looked at her steadily. "I didn't" he replied.

She looked at him quizzically. "Then how did you get the ring?" she asked.

"I've had it since the first run outta the prison" he replied.

**Well there you go, Daryl wasn't as slow of a mover as we thought! Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3 - Bad Stroke of Luck

**Here we come to an integral point in Merle and Beth's relationship. This is an offshoot of SOA Loving Mom's Winter Heat, Chapter 81, 'Wrong Name Dixon' so read that first. I think everyone will enjoy this :)**

**Bad stroke of luck**

Beth smiled to herself. She and Carol had kept the lemonade mix a secret since the last run and today they were going to break it out. She sang to herself as she poured glasses for lunch. Merle had told her that he'd be working on the old junker truck out in the carport so she was going to deliver his lunch and maybe get a little makeout action on the side.

As she served people for lunch she thought about how the Woodbury residents were finally starting to fit in at the prison. There were quite a few interesting people including the Vanover family who had a daughter just a year or two younger than Beth. Beth had had a few conversations with Anna and found that they shared some common interests and she was hoping that a friendship would develop. It had been difficult being the only teenage girl around and she thought it would be nice to have someone around who understood.

She frowned a little bit when she thought about Anna. On a couple occasions when Anna wasn't looking Beth had seen Merle give Anna an appraising look - the type of look Beth had only ever seen on his face before they were together. Beth was prettier than the average girl but she had to admit that Anna was almost supermodel status and it made her and many of the other women insecure. When she brought up Merle's attention to her he had brushed it off as harmless looking to make sure Anna was safe.

She shook off those thoughts as she rounded the corner into the carport. Merle was underneath the truck swearing and adjusting something with a wrench. Beth smiled and plopped on the ground next to him. "Hey," she said. "Got your lunch!" He stopped swearing and wiped his hand off on an oily rag. "Mmmmmm sugar. You'll spoil a man what with deliverin' lunch...them nice neck rubs...", he rolled out from under the truck to look at her and continued with an evil smile, "...all them blow jobs." Beth gasped and said "Merle!" in mock indignance.

Merle grinned and raked her body with his eyes. She handed him his food and sat with him while he ate. "There's a little more lemonade," she said. "I'll sneak some out before everyone comes in for dinner." His voice rumbled in his chest, "I'll have to find some way to thank ya later." Beth bit her lip and looked at him with lust. "What about now?" she asked. He lifted his eyebrows in surprise and ran his forefinger between her breasts. "Good God-fearin' gal probably wouldn't feel right 'bout creatin' a spectacle outside where anybody could see."

She giggled and pushed him back on the creeper, straddling him and rubbing her breasts on his chest while she kissed him. He growled and kneaded her ass while she writhed on top of him, her hair falling down like a curtain around their faces. He muttered filthy things to her and she giggled and teased his mouth with her tongue. Her hands went under his shirt to his nipples when...

"Ahem. Um sorry guys," stammered Carl. Beth sat up suddenly, blushing. Carl looked around at everything except them lying on the creeper and said, "Beth, Carol needs you to clean up because Judith is teething." Beth stood up and wiped her hands off on her pants. "OK," she said breathlessly, embarrassed that Carl had seen her acting in such a way. Merle chuckled behind her. "Stick around boy, might larn somethin'." Beth blushed again and said, "Hush Merle!" She grabbed the dirty dishes and stood up, noticing that Anna had come out into the prison yard to get some air. Beth waved and went into the prison.

As she was cleaning she noticed leftover lemonade in the pitcher. She poured it into a glass and walked it out to the motor pool for Merle. When she came around the corner she had the shock of her life. Merle was partially hidden from view behind the old truck but she could see that he was massaging a large bulge in his pants and his hand was moving to unzip them. And his attention was focused on an unsuspecting Anna who was rubbing on sunblock while dressed in her string bikini.

Beth's heart stopped and she heard the glass she was holding shatter on the pavement. Merle jerked his head towards the sound and shock registered on his face as he realized what he had been caught doing. Beth wheeled around and she never felt her feet hit the ground as she streaked towards the prison.

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"Fuck!" Merle swore. "God damn it!" He adjusted himself and gave chase to Beth. _What the fuck was I thinkin'? How fucking stupid could I be?_ The shock and horror on her face stabbed him in the chest like a hot poker. He knew this one was going to be bad. He had thought it was funny when Daryl got in hot water because he said Anna's name during sex two days before. Carol was still punishing Daryl but now it didn't seem so goddamned funny.

Her found her in her old cell curled up in a ball on the bunk. She was hyperventilating and her hands clutched at her hair. "Sugar," he started. Beth huddled tighter. "LEAVE ME ALONE, she said loudly. He tried to sit down on the bunk but she kicked at him. "C'mon angel, talk ta me." Beth started crying and shouted, "NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Merle tried again, "Ya got me all hot, just wanted to rub one off right quick. Didn't mean nothin'," he said in what he hoped was a reassuring tone. Beth leaped off of the bed and he saw something he had never seen in her eyes: fury. She used the momentum of her leap to push on his chest with both hands, pushing him out the door with each thrust. "LEAVE. ME. ALONE. YOU. CHEATER!" she said with each push.

Merle pinched the bridge of his nose and wondered what the hell to do. Beth was back in the bed crying into her pillow. He felt a nudge and looked to see Rick standing next to him. Rick sidled nervously and said, "In my experience, when they say it like that they mean it. Best to give her some space." Merle regarded him with hostility at first then his shoulders slumped in defeat. He walked into the kitchen where Daryl was trying to talk to Carol who was shushing a fussy Judith. She was ignoring him like he wasn't there. Carol looked at Merle with daggers in her eyes. _Fuck, she knows._ He heard cowboy boots clattering up the stairs and a few minutes later he heard a loud grunt then dull thump on the floor in the next room.

He and Daryl moved to the door together and saw Merle's clothes floating from the perch like snowflakes and settling one by one on the concrete floor. His ammo bag was sideways on the floor and he could smell that the whiskey bottle inside of it was broken. "Fuck," swore Merle then he yelled upwards, "Girlie, ain't no reason to get this worked up." Beth appeared in the doorway with his spare arm blade. "NOW YOU CAN MOVE OUT AND GO HAVE SEX WITH YOUR GIRLFRIEND!" and with that Beth screamed through her teeth and heaved the arm blade over. Merle and Daryl both retreated in case it ricocheted.

Daryl looked back at Carol who was looking at the baby but had her lips pursed and one eyebrow arched. They weren't going to get help there. "You cheat on her?" asked Daryl. Merle grimaced and said, "No, she caught me whacking off to Tits Magee out there." Daryl snorted, "I'd call ya a dumbass but I did somethin' even dumber. Ain't got no advice for ya brother, I'm in it deep mahself."

Merle swore and started picking up his things and throwing them into her old cell. She was crying furiously in their room with the door closed and locked. Hershel came in from the bathroom, saw the Merle picking up the mess on the floor and heard Beth's crying upstairs. He sighed heavily and entered the cellblock. He was just about to ask Merle if he could help the situation when he heard the door swing open abruptly upstairs and Beth appeared above. "YOU'LL NEED THESE FOR YOUR GIRLFRIEND TOO!" she yelled and a partial box of condoms bounced on the floor between Merle and Hershel. Her furious crying resumed and Merle growled, "She ain't my goddamned girlfriend, she ain't nothin! If ya'd stop for a fuckin' second I could tell ya..." Beth interrupted, "I SAW YOU! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Hershel's eyebrows shot up and Merle explained briefly, "Whackin' off not fuc...not touchin' er." Hershel sighed. "Anna?" he asked and Merle said, "Yeah". Just then Maggie came storming in. "Where is she?" she said refusing to look at Merle. Hershel was going to point upstairs but Beth's crying led Maggie there. They heard Maggie say, "Bethy let me in!" The door opened and they heard Beth throwing herself into Maggie's arms, hiccuping as the sobs consumed her. "Oh Maggie!" cried Beth. "It hurts so bad!" Maggie soothed her and the men could hear her trying to calm Beth down. "I told you he wasn't good for you Bethy. I knew he'd cheat on you the minute he could!" and Beth cried even harder. "I didn't cheat on her!" yelled Merle, but by now he knew his goose was cooked. "Fuck this," he growled and walked out of the prison.

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He tried to talk to Beth at dinner but she would have none of it so he took overnight watch to get himself out of there. He was tired of the stares and whispers that were going on all around him. He thought to himself, _I'll talk to her in the mornin' after she's had a good night's sleep. She might even laugh about it._

He caught her after breakfast. "Can I talk to ya?" he asked and he received a chilly nod in return. They went to her old cell and she stood with her arms crossed. He could see that she hadn't slept. He scratched the top of his head and started, "I can see why you was upset sugar cause I was a dumbass. But I ain't never cheated on ya and I never will. It weren't no different than lookin' at a magazine. I just needed to pop one off and go on with my day." Beth pressed her lips together and repeated, "You just needed to pop one off." Merle smiled, "Yeah sugar, you got me all worked up then ya left. I needed to do somethin'." Beth nodded and said, "So it would have been OK for me to come here and pop one off with Tyreese in the room."

Merle stiffened. That would most definitely not be OK. "That'd be different," he said. Beth's eyes narrowed. Merle swallowed and continued, "It was just bad timin' with her hangin it all out like that." Beth shifted her weight to her other foot. "Hanging what all out Merle?" Merle grimaced and said, "All that shit." Beth glared and Merle pressed on. "Hard not ta look at her since she looks a lot like you and you so purty." Beth exhaled. Being told that Anna looked like her wasn't so bad. "She looks a lot like me," she repeated a litlle less icily. Merle was relieved. He could see that she was thawing and as much as he missed her as a lover her missed her even more as his friend and confidant.

"Well yeah sugar except she's a little younger, got bigger tits," he said before he caught himself. Rick, Hershel and Glen who had been talking in the corner of the cellblock and they all stopped. Daryl groaned from the kitchen. None of them had ever seen a woman gut a man before but they had a feeling it was going to happen now.

Beth gaped and took a step back. One of her few insecurities was her breast size because of youth, genetics and food rationing she hadn't yet developed a curvy figure. Anna's breasts were at least a cup size larger and so beautiful that even Beth caught herself looking at them. "Oh," she said has her eyes filled with tears. Merle moved closer to her. "Sugar, I like yers better," he stammered. "More than a handful's a waste." "Oh," repeated Beth as the pain seared her to her core.

Her face reddened. "You never wanted me. I see it now. You just wanted the youngest prettiest one and I'm not that anymore, Anna is," Beth gasped. Merle's eyes opened wide and his face turned red with anger. He pointed his finger at her chest and bellowed, "GOD DAMMIT! You know that ain't true." Beth moved to the door, crying in earnest. "Well Merle, you'll be happy to know that after Anna gets old like me Judith will be available," she choked as she ran upstairs. Merle moved to the door to give chase and found him staring into the fiery eyes of Maggie Greene. Behind her holding the baby was a stony faced Carol. _Fuck._

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The days that followed were the most uncomfortable in the history of their group. Everyone was angry with Daryl who skulked around trying to find Carol with her guard down so they could talk, and with Merle who spent a lot of time beating the crap out of stationary objects. No one was getting sleep because Beth and Carol cried through the nights. A lot of energy was being devoted towards blocking Daryl from Carol and Merle from Beth. Everyone was tired and irritable.

The night Merle got drunk was the breaking point. What he really wanted was a bag of meth or some coke to go but there was nothing like that around and Hershel kept the medical drugs under tight guard for the injured. Merle grabbed up one of the bottles of whiskey that were stashed at various locations around the prison and drank himself into a stupor. Daryl grumpily hauled him into the cell they were now sharing and dropped him in the bunk. "Set your drunk ass there and don't move," he ordered. Merle laughed and said, "Don't worry brother, I'm gonna sit right here and sing to my little angel. Gonna get her back." Daryl paced the floor in the cell. "Merle ya can't be makin' all kinds of racket, go to sleep. She don't wanna hear ya nohow."

Undeterred Merle broke into a loud rendition of "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" by Hank Williams. During the instrumental part he hollered, "That's a waltz sugar, betcha you didn't think I knew that." When that was over he started with "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash. "I fell for ya like a chald," Merle crooned, "Ohhh, but the far went wald. That's me and you angel." Daryl reached over from the bunk next to him and punched him in the chest. "Shut up Merle, everybody's tryin' to sleep." From two cells over Glen yelled, "Yeah, shut up!"

Merle yelled back, "Easy for you chingchong, you got yer woman with ya. She's probably sayin nice thangs to ya and rubbin ya back and lovin' up on ya. I broke my woman's heart bein' a no good prick," Merle's scratchy voice wavered and he began to cry drunkenly. "Do anythin' to get her back but she don't want me. She figured out what a sorry asshole I am," he sniffed loudly. "Don't want nothin else but her, I'd do anything. Beth ya hear me?"

Maggie appeared in the doorway. "Hush up Merle," she hissed. The sound of Beth sobbing from upstairs became apparent. Maggie grimaced, "See what ya did?" and she ran upstairs to comfort Beth. Daryl stood amongst the groans of everyone trying to sleep in the cellblock and pulled Merle out to sleep in the kitchen that night.

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The day that Carol and Daryl made up everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. Half of the burden was gone. Anna had heard about the ruckus that she unintentionally caused and felt terrible about it. At mealtimes she sat between her parents, fully clothed and quietly ate. She knew she was at fault for these problems but didn't know how to fix it. She had tried to talk to Daryl who told her in no uncertain terms to go fuck herself and to stay away from him. She was scared to death of Merle. After Daryl and Carol made up she decided to talk to Beth.

After breakfast one day she softly knocked on Beth's door. Beth was lying in bed staring at the wall, a tattered magazine lying unread in front of her. She sat up and saw Anna. "Hi," said Beth softly. Anna asked if she could come in and she sat on the bed near Beth's knees. She said, "Beth, I heard about what happened and I'm so sorry. I never meant for any of it and I'm so sad that you're sad. What can I do?" Beth looked at the girl and saw that her eyes were truthful. Beth sighed. "Well, not laying around in your bikini would be nice," she said ruefully. Though Beth knew that if she looked like Anna she'd wear her bikini every day. "Though it was ultimately Merle's fault for looking."

Anna shook her head. She said softly, "I was trying to get someone to look." Beth looked at her sharply and said, "Merle?" Anna shook her head rapidly and said, "Ew. I mean I know you love him and no offense but...ew, no. I was talking about someone else. But he didn't even notice me." Beth looked at her and saw sadness in Anna's face. "Who?" asked Beth. Anna looked down. "Tyreese. Every guy stared at me except him. It was like I didn't exist." Beth frowned. "Anna, Tyreese is my friend and I can guarantee that he noticed you. He was just too polite not to stare." _Like the other morons_, Beth finished in her head.

"I don't know," Anna sighed. "I've been trying to catch his eye for weeks." Beth put her hand on Anna's knee. "Have you talked to him?" she asked. Anna shook her head no. "I was too scared," she said. Beth laughed and said, "Tyreese is a fantastic guy. He's intelligent and easygoing and has wonderful manners. Plus he's hot. I think you should go talk to him." Anna sighed, "How?" Beth smiled and said, "C'mon." Beth had to admit that she felt a little superior because Tyreese had hit on her before and she turned him down for Merle.

Beth knew that Tyreese was on watch with Merle in the tower. She heated up a cup of coffee and handed it to Anna. "Tyreese loves coffee. Tell him we had some left over and you thought of him. Then ask him to sit with you at dinner. Tell him you want to hear about the NFL." Anna giggled, "I can't believe I'm doing this!" Beth reassured her, "He'll love it."

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Anna made her way up the steps of the tower and smiled when she got to the top. Both men had turned to see who it was and when Merle spotted her he growled, "The fuck you want?" His hangover was killing him. Tyreese looked to him and said, "You ARE smooth Dixon, no wonder women are beating the door down to get to you." Merle sneered and turned his back to the both of them.

Anna told Tyreese that she brought the coffee for him and he smiled and thanked her. She blushed and asked if he'd sit with her that night at dinner and he told her he'd be honored. She shyly said goodbye. As she left she smiled widely and made her way back to the prison. She had some serious primping to do.

Tyreese turned back to Merle and he appraised him for several minutes. Merle turned and snapped, "You see somethin' interestin'?" Tyreese nodded, taking in Merle's haggard appearance and unshaved face. "You really did fuck things up didn't you? And it looks to me like you're hurting for it. Maybe you ain't the monster you portray, maybe there's a man under there." Merle glared out the window. He didn't need this Dr. Phil bullshit.

Tyreese crossed his arms around his barrel chest. "You love her?" he asked quietly. Merle's head snapped towards him and his eyes blazed. He stared Tyreese down for a few moments then said quietly, "Yeah, I love her." Tyreese shook his head. "Because I know she loves you for whatever reason. You see, this would be the time to be honest with me because if you really don't love her then you and me gonna have some problems." Merle turned so his entire body faced Tyreese and Tyreese saw the pain unveiled in his eyes. Merle's shoulders slumped a bit. "I love her. Don't know what else to do to get her back. Even asked her to marry me but she just got madder. Said I'd be cheatin' on God," said Merle.

"Mmmm hmmm," said Tyreese. "Time for a third party to step in. Merle do you remember what it was like to be 20? Insecure about anyone that's ever even looked at your partner? When we get older we lose that sensitivity but your girl is on her first love and every woman in your past, present and future is a threat." Merle sighed in exasperation. "But I ain't never HAD no woman," he said. Tyreese laughed. "You've been a playa for a long time, that might even be worse for her. Girls like her don't understand that kind of life and it scares her, makes her think she's just another number." Merle bristled, "She ain't no number," he threatened.

Tyreese sighed. "I'll talk to her before dinner, then it's up to you. If it turns out you're playing her I'll be the one that escorts you outside the gates." Merle snorted and turned back to watching the fence. Merle was the same size as Tyreese and a dirty fighter but he was limited with one hand and Tyreese was at least 10 years younger than him. He couldn't be sure who would win that battle.

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Tyreese caught Beth in the kitchen before she and Carol started to make dinner. "Can I talk to you?" asked Tyreese and Beth smiled and sat down with him. Carol was tending Judith and folding clothes a few tables away and Hershel was resting at another table with his bad leg up and his eyes closed.

"Beth," started Tyreese. "Penises are a funny thing." Beth's eyes widened in surprise, she hadn't expected that as a conversation opener. Hershel opened one eye out of curiousity. "They're a part of the body but they act independently. When a boy starts maturing it's out of control about 60% of the time. Our man Carl for example, you can be sure that more than half the time he's pointin' at somethin'." Beth giggled, she had noticed Carl pulling at his pants lately. She heard Hershel softly snort behind her.

"A man matures, gets some years and experience on him and he gets to where he can control it about 90% of the time. If it acts up he can suppress it with his mind. That other 10% though Beth is rough because it ain't up to him when it's going to react. He could be standing in front of the ugliest woman on the planet, someone he hates even, and that thing can jump up like a periscope. And sometimes it don't go away." Beth's jaw dropped and she hesitantly said, "Not all men." She was thinking about her daddy and her pastor and the school principal. Hershel answered behind her, "Yes Beth, all healthy men." Beth gasped and covered her mouth and Carol laughed behind her. Carol had caught Daryl in many stages of mortification before they started dating.

Tyreese looked at her with concern. "Man's only got two options, try to ignore it and hope it goes away, or take care of it. Now that doesn't excuse your man for the way he went about it, but I think that might shed a little light on where his mind was at the time. You know your man isn't the most sophisticated, right?" Beth nodded. "You're the first woman he's ever cared about. He had a fast life before this one and I think that maybe the other day he had a lapse in judgment. I've looked into the man's eyes and I can tell you that he's in pain. I think you should think about that."

Beth looked down at her folded hands. She missed Merle so badly that she could hardly stand it and when he sang the other night it took everything she had not to throw herself into his arms. She did believe that he loved her. She looked back up at Tyreese and nodded. "Thank you," she said, and he kissed her cheek and left to spiffy up for his dinner date.

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Their eyes met across the room many times over dinner. His were sunken in his unshaved face and the hostility was gone from hers leaving only sadness. He cocked his head at her and she bit her lip, looking down so he wouldn't see the tears gathering. It didn't help that there was laughter and gaiety coming from the Vanover table where Tyreese was charming his way into Anna's heart. After Mere was finished he made his way over to her and asked if he could talk to her and she nodded.

She sat on the bunk and he stood over her with his arms propped on the upper bunk. "What do I gotta do?" he asked quietly. "I don't wanna live this way, lookin' at ya from across a room." She started to cry and covered her face with her hands. "You hurt me," she cried. "I'm so mad at you and I hate it that I miss you so much." He squatted down to be level with her. "I'm sorry," he said in a quiet rasp that sent a shiver up her spine. She moved into his arms and melted into him and he held her tightly with a sigh of relief. "I told ya I wouldn't be very good at this love shit," he said wryly and she gave a little laugh. He murmured, "But I do love ya and I don't wanna live without ya. Can I come back to our room?" She nodded slowly and he pulled away to kiss her, then he moved to his knees and buried his face in her lap. His arms encircled her waist and she draped her upper body over his back with her arms around his waist. They pressed into each other tenderly and people walking by the cell sighed with relief. After the makeup sex they'd all get some sleep.

Everyone cleaned up and bedded down for the night and Merle and Beth headed upstairs. In the soft glow of the moonlight she slowly pulled off her clothes and stood like a pale statue. He kissed her roughly until she whimpered and moved to her breasts, showing his appreciation for them with great enthusiasm. He pulled off his clothes and got to his knees in front of her. As his nose touched her pubic hair he inhaled and thought he would explode with her clean scent. He growled and she said, "Stop."

Merle looked up at her questioningly. "Pray," she said. "What?" he questioned. She looked down at him and said firmly, "Ask God for forgiveness then you can have me." _Is she shittin' me?_ he thought. He thought he heard a bark of laughter from Carol and Daryl's room down the hallway. "Aw girlie, I don't know how to do that shit," he complained. She took a step back and he couldn't smell her anymore. He swore then grimaced. "Fine," he said. He looked down at his lap where his hard-on bobbed merrily. "Dear God this is Merle. I'm sorry I whacked off lookin' at another woman though it's your fault for givin' me this hair trigger dick and ya gave me the purtiest girl in the world and so I'm thankful for that and next time I need to whack off I'm gonna jam it in her so hard it'll make her eyes cross. Amen."

He looked up expectantly and she smiled and stepped close to him again, pressing her mound against his face. She lifted one foot onto the bed so she was open for him and he groaned. "Now make me happy," she ordered.

**OK, I have to admit this is one of the funnest ones I've written. Hope you enjoyed it! -Athlete Girl.**


	4. Chapter 4 - Secret

**Secret**

It took 3 guys to lug a comatose Merle into the prison. The run had gone well but on the way back they decided to hit a previously unvisited place and that's where they ran into trouble. Besides getting trapped by a herd of walkers they ran into a band of brutal men who had their eyes on the groups' vehicles and weapons. Because of Merle's sharpshooting skills they were able to get the better of them but Tyreese had some broken fingers from being jumped by two men and Merle had a split eye and busted knuckles from getting Rick out of a jam. A bullet that came through the window grazed Merle's side and he fell into the broken glass cutting his face and chest and giving him a concussion.

"C'mon Merle, get yer lazy ass up," yelled Daryl in the back seat as he shook his brother. Tyreese looked back from the passenger seat. "Dude he's out," he said. "Saw it all the time in the NFL. Some dudes take a hit like a freight train and walk away like it's nothing, other guys look like they barely got touched and they're out for hours. Must be the impact angle or something."

They loaded Merle into Hershel's cell and took Tyreese to Beth's. Carol worked on setting Tyreese's fingers and fixing up the other minor injuries while Hershel concentrated on Merle. "I can't believe his nose isn't broken with that split over it," Hershel muttered. "Though it looks like it's been broken plenty of times before." Beth helped her father pick the pieces of glass out of Merle's face and chest and assisted while her dad stitched up the bigger cuts. Eventually Hershel sighed, "He's out all right. All those stitches and he didn't move. Blessings abound Beth! Clean him up."

Beth got a fresh bowl of disinfectant water and clean gauze and sat facing Merle on the bed. His pants were on but they had to cut him out of his stank wifebeater. His sparse chest hair was speckled with grey but his chest and arms were still powerful and led to a thick neck. She thought he was beautiful. She had always thought he was beautiful. And he had always looked right through her as if she wasn't there.

She sighed and dipped the gauze in the water and cautiously dabbed at a cut on his chest. "Sorry," she said softly, blowing on it. "I know it stings." She cautiously cleaned around the stitched bullet graze, blew on the skin to dry it and gently put a sterile bandage over it. She firmly pressed the top of the bandage and he turned his head. "Merle?" she asked. She moved his arm to his side and scooted up a little. "Are you awake?" she asked softly. There was no reaction and she stroked the side of his face. "Guess not," she said. "Well I guess you won't mind if I talk to you then."

She started wiping the grime off of his neck. "You don't even know I exist," she said softly. "But I watch you. I watch everybody but they don't notice because I'm quiet. I watch you the most though. I liked you the first time I saw you even though you weren't very nice. When Rick put it to a vote on what to do with you I voted to keep you here. I broke the tie." She moved to the shoulder nearest her then worked down his arm.

"That's a deep one, sorry baby if this stings," she said as she dabbed at his split knuckles. She firmly rubbed the gauze into his palm and gingerly washed his fingers. His hand was large with well-formed fingers and neatly trimmed nails. She interlaced her fingers through his for a moment noting how small her hand looked in his. She brought it up to her mouth and kissed a split knuckle then gently laid it down at his side.

"I guess this is pretty pathetic, huh?" she asked as she stood up and bent over to do his other shoulder and arm. His prosthetic was off and she made sure to clean his ragged stump well in case there were glass fragments in there. "I guess I don't really know a way to make you see me. I try to sing around you and sometimes I see you listening but other times you walk right through it. You think I'm some bible school kid who never did anything bad in her life and most likely that bores you."

_Chest next_, she thought. _God help me I'd rather lie down on it._ She exhaled and started dabbing at the cuts on his chest. She picked up a clean towel, wetted it and began washing his chest in circular strokes. Under her hands it felt even better than she thought it would and she proceeded slowly, enjoying it. She worked down to his stomach and his waist, admiring the faint treasure trail of curly brown hair that disappeared into his pants.

Biting her lip she pulled the front of his pants away from his belly and slipped the towel in about an inch underneath. She wondered what would happen if she just went a little farther. What would it feel like? Would it be big? What does a hard one feel like? Her cheeks got hot and she jumped when her father's voice came through the door. "He awake yet Beth?" Beth blushed and let go of Merle's pants. "Um no," she said. "I just found some more glass under his clothes and brushed it out." Her father nodded and said, "Are you OK? You look flushed." Beth smiled and blew a piece of hair out of her eyes. "I'm fine daddy, it's just a little stuffy in here. I'll get his face then I'm done."

"All right," said Hershel moving away from the door. Beth picked up the bowl then moved up to Merle's head. "The only chance I'll ever have to put my hand in your pants and neither one of us got to enjoy it," she said wryly. She picked a few stray pieces of glass out of his hair then ran it through her fingers tenderly. "Curly," she whispered. "I wonder why you shave it. If you let it grow it would probably be prettier than most of the girls' hair," she said. She brushed it back from his temples and cleaned the dried sweat from his skin.

"Well only a few minutes left and then as far as you're concerned I turn back into a kid," she said, frowning. "But I'm not a kid Merle, I'm a woman. I'm 18 now and I know what I want. I just don't know how to get it." She dabbed carefully around the wounds on his face and tried to clean it the best she could. "I want you to show me how to be a woman. I want to be your woman," she said wistfully as she looked at her finished work.

She dabbed his nose cut one last time and set the bowl on the chair next to the bed. She looked at his rugged face which looked younger now that he was relaxed in sleep. His lips, usually set in a cruel sneer were full and slightly parted. "I could take care of you," she whispered. She leaned over and softly kissed his stitched eye, then each of the small cuts on his face one by one then carefully moved her nose around his and placed a feather light kiss on his lips. She meant the kiss to be quick but couldn't resist lingering for a few seconds to etch it into her memory.

She moved her head slightly back and sighed. His eyes were still closed and his lips hadn't even twitched. It was like she'd never been there at all.

"There's a bruise on my dick too," said Merle. Beth screamed and jumped back, knocking over the chair with the water bowl on it. Merle laughed, holding his ribs as he leered at her. She was standing in the doorway red-faced with both hands over her mouth. It was positively the most embarrassing moment of her life and she was mortified. And he was_ laughing_.

"Merle!" she cried indignantly. "How could you?" Her face was flaming and her eyes were shining with tears. Merle didn't know whether to hold his head or his side, he had been awake since she cleaned his bullet wound and he had thoroughly enjoyed the object of his nightly masturbation fantasies tending to his needs. "Well hell sugar seein' as it's the last time and all I might as well get a happy ending," he hooted. "Oh!" she said, her fists balling up at her sides. "You...you...BUTTHOLE!" and she pushed her way past Daryl to stalk out of the room.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Daryl as he walked into the room. He nodded at Merle's side. "You OK?" Merle alternatively laughed and moaned in pain from his burning side and splitting headache. Furious sobbing could be heard a few cells down in Beth's room. "Brotha," Merle said. "I ain't never been better in my life."

**Thanks all for reading another of my one shots! I haven't had many reviews lately and they really keep me going so drop me a line.**


	5. Chapter 5 Country Girls

**This is an add-on to SOA Loving Mom's Winter Heat chapter called 'Country Girl'. I suggest you read it before reading this one.**

**Country Girls**

Merle was the first to volunteer for the skinny dip watch. When Rick and Hershel eyed him suspiciously Merle asked, "Any y'all been ta that lake? I've been huntin' around there for months. Somethin' comes up out there I know where it's gonna come from. Keep 'em safe." Neither of them could deny that logic so Merle won his place. When he turned to go to the motor pool his smile was a mile wide.

They eight of them portioned out into two vehicles and Beth shyly took the passenger seat of the car so she could sit next to Merle. They had been making eye contact for the last few weeks and Merle had taken a few opportunities to brush up against her when he walked past. He knew the way she gasped and stilled that his advances were being well received. _Best to go slow with this one, she aint one a them porta-pussies at the bar. Yep, real slow, don't wanna spook 'er. She's gonna taste all the better for it. She thinks she talks to God now, I'll have her screamin' for Jesus soon 'nough._

Imagining what was under her clothes drove him to distraction or more precisely nightly masturbation so the prospect of seeing all of her, totally nude, in the bright sunshine... _them little titties pointin' up outta the water...water runnin in between 'em...sparkles of water on her mound...wonder if she's a natural blonde_?

_Fuck_, he thought. He realized he was sitting next to her sporting major wood. Luckily she was looking out the window and humming so he pulled at his pants and shifted in his seat. Maggie and Glen were in the back seat holding hands and deep in hushed conversation. Luckily Maggie hadn't seen his problem because he didn't doubt she'd try to shoot that pecker right off of him.

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The first time Beth saw Merle was when Daryl brought him back from Woodbury and she thought he was a heathen. He fought with Rick and had done horrible things to Glen and Maggie and for safety Rick had kept him locked in a cell. After he won his freedom and could walk around the prison Hershel pointed out his value and Beth began to study him. She learned that he was more alert than most people because he noticed that she watched him.

At first it didn't bother her, she'd look away and tend to Judith but then she began to notice how blue his eyes were. And how he carried himself with military straightness. And how his broad chest and powerful shoulders moved under his shirt. And despite how nasty he was to everyone else how much he loved Daryl. And how when he laughed even in sarcasm the years dropped off of him. And how when he spoke up he was usually right. And how he kept himself on the fringe of the group like a good dog that had been whipped until it became mean.

One day when he noticed her watching him her heart leaped and her face got hot. That's when she knew she was over her head. The next time when he met her eyes cockily with an appraising one-sided grin she knew that he knew it too. And the first time he brushed against her she thought it was an accident until he smiled, making her blush profusely. She didn't know the rules of the game they were playing but she hoped it would pick up speed soon.

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The guys made the girls wait near the cars until they had scouted the lake. When they returned Maggie made it clear that the men were to stay on the perimeter and not get near the shore. It was skinny dippin' day and the women needed some fun. Even Carol looked a little excited and smiled into the wind. The women all looked at each other then abruptly bolted towards the shore like a herd of fillies, screaming with laughter. As they got closer to shore they left a trail of clothes in their wake.

Michonne pulled a bottle of wine out of her bag and they opened it, standing in their pants and bras in the sand. Michonne dipped her toe in the water and announced, "Fuck that's cold!" and Maggie laughed, "Well ladies I guess we'll have our high beams on!", provoking another round of wild laughter and playing around on the beach.

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The sound of laughter carried on the wind. Merle looked at Daryl. Daryl looked at Glen. Glen looked at Tyreese. Tyreese looked at Merle. They all wondered who would break first. They heard a splash followed by a scream then wild laughter. They each scanned the horizon then looked at each other. Finally Glen said, "I get to see Maggie everyday. You guys can go AS LONG AS YOU DON'T LOOK AT MAGGIE." Daryl snorted, "Ain't interested in yer woman." Tyreese laughed and said, "No looking at Michonne either. That's mine."

Daryl and Merle exchanged sidelong glances. Glen looked at Merle and pointed at him saying, "And no looking at Beth either." Merle scoffed, "She's a kid, ain't gonna look at her." Daryl stole another glance at Merle. He knew that Beth was the main reason Merle wanted back there but he wasn't getting into that mess. "And no lookin' at Carol," Daryl hissed at Merle so the others couldn't hear. Merle looked at him and said, "Settle Darlene, ain't gonna look at yer wife. Much." Daryl growled and spat on the ground. There was a second splash followed by applause followed by riotous applause and more laughter and Daryl sidled nervously.

After a while the sound of music floated over the water and Merle paced back and forth. "Gonna check the north shore, look at my snares," he growled, taking a path that veered to the side of the lake. The others didn't know that it would take him to a rock ledge that conveniently had a view of the dock. Some time later Daryl said, "I'm just gonna check on Carol, make sure she's OK." The others nodded and he took the dirt path to the lake.

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Beth sat on the sand and tugged at her boots. When she got them off she looked around and found the abandoned bottle of wine near the dock. She took a couple of swigs and decided that she liked wine just fine. Maggie was standing on the dock, nude. "Bethie should I cannonball?" she said. Beth laughed and said, "You versus Michonne!" Michonne was just pulling her pants off and she smiled. "Honey, I'm the cannonball queen of southeast Georgia," she taunted. Maggie took the challenge and leapt off the end of the dock sending up a spray about 6 feet in the air. All the others clapped then Michonne said mischievously, "Make way for the queen." She took a running leap and jumped almost vertically off the dock sending up a spray at least 10 feet in the air.

The other women catcalled and cheered and declared Michonne the official queen. Beth ran the bottle of wine to the end of the dock so Michonne and Maggie could each have a drink. She brought it back to the beach and looked at Carol. "Carol are you coming?" Beth asked. Carol smiled and hugged her knees to her chest. "In a bit honey," she said. Beth smiled widely and Carol could see traces of the kid that still remained in the young woman.

Beth shimmied out of her jeans and took off her underclothes. She spread her arms wide and enjoyed the feel of the sunshine on her body. She and Maggie did this when they lived on the farm and it brought back a lot of fond memories. She reached back and took her hair out of its customary ponytail, messing it up with both hands and walked to the dock. "Maggie is it deep?" she yelled. "Over my head at the end of the dock!" replied Maggie.

"Somersault!" announced Beth, sprinting down the dock and leaping high into the air to somersault into the water. When she came up she screamed, "Maggie! It's freezing!" Maggie and Michonne just laughed and Maggie dunked her for good measure. After a few minutes the water felt good and Beth swam and played with the other women, even running back to shore to somersault and dive off of the dock a few more times. They had a soccer ball and played keep away until Maggie noticed that Carol wasn't in the water.

It had taken cajoling but Carol was there on the dock doing a striptease like a pro. The others hooted and egged her on and finally Carol got in. Beth thought it was great to see the older woman let loose and have fun. They split into teams and played water volleyball for a while then Beth announced that she was going to lay in the sun to warm up.

She swam lazily to shore and sat in the shallow water to watch the minnows for a few minutes then she stood up and walked to the dock. The early afternoon sun was strong and warmed her body. She lay down on her stomach and peered into the water noting the bluegills that swam near the pilings. _We need to fish this,_ she thought.

She straightened and rested her cheek on her bent arms and let the sound of the water lapping on shore lull her to the brink of sleep. She thought about the other womens' bodies. Carol and Maggie had beautiful curves with full breasts and Michonne, well she had the most fit body Beth had ever seen. She thought about Merle and what he'd think of her own lithe body. _That I'm a kid_, she thought. _No curves and no boobs_. She sighed sadly. _He looks like the kind of man who would want big boobs._

She thought of Merle and smiled. She had never seen a grown man naked and she wondered what he would look like. Once he was working outside with his shirt off and when he saw her coming he had put it back on, but not before she took in his broad chest and flat stomach. He wasn't hairy which surprised her. She loved the way his neck corded when he was angry, she wondered what it would be like to run her tongue up the side of it. What would he taste like? He was pretty meticulous in his grooming habits so maybe he'd smell and taste good.

"Mmmm," she moaned thinking of his neck and his jawline and how nice his butt looked under his cargo pants. She rolled over onto her back and her hands went to her breasts. She softly squeezed her nipples and felt a warm rush in her center. She propped herself up on her elbows to look around and saw that the keep away game had drawn the other women to the center of the lake. She sighed and looked down at herself. She didn't have large breasts but she thought her pert tits with soft pink upturned nipples were at least pretty. She lay back down and squeezed them, her pleasure building. Soon her hips were moving and she trailed her hand down to softly pluck at her blonde curls.

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When Merle got to the ledge he lay down so he wouldn't attract attention. He was partially hidden by trees and the women seemed pretty preoccupied. Maggie and Michonne were in the water, Carol was sitting on the shore fully clothed watching the action, and Beth was in her pants and bra pulling off her boots. He watched her pull her jeans and underwear off and groaned. _Blonde awright._ His dick throbbed uncomfortably and he pulled his fly open and his pants down. Next was the bra and the sight of those tits was like the second coming of Christ to Merle. He grabbed his crank and started stroking. When she let down her hair and mussed it in the bright sunshine Merle groaned out loud and quickened his pace. He came when she somersaulted into the water. He watched her for a moment chasing and dunking her sister then he fell back spent.

He sleepily watched the branches above him move in the slight wind and thought about nailing Beth soon. Now that he'd seen the goods he was going to make his move. _How to turn the heat up on her without settin' her pa off?_ Merle became aware of a commotion down on the dock and looked. His brother's quiet little woman was out there strippin' and gyratin' and the others were cheerin' her on like drunken sailors. He grinned when he saw Daryl behind a big rock pumpin' his dick with all he had. Merle lay back down and looked back up at the trees. _Time to check them snares._

Merle came back about an hour later with three rabbits. He stopped back at the ledge to see what was happening. The other women were out in the deep part of the lake throwing a ball around and trying to dive. _Little miss is havin' a nap in the sun_, he thought as he lay the rabbits down. _Look at that sweet little ass stickin' up in the air just beggin' for a man to tap it,_ he thought. His cock began to stir again and he wondered what it smelled like between them sweet...

Beth rolled over sleepily and Merle panted as he absorbed every inch of her body. "Fuck," he grunted as he pulled his pants open again. Junior was at full attention and only one thing was going to solve this problem. Merle struggled to get his pants down and put one of the rabbits underneath his head for a pillow. He turned to look at the dock again and his eyes widened in surprise. _She ain't. She cain't be. Fuck, she is._ Merle watched as Beth looked around then slid a graceful hand down the slit of her pussy. He was pretty sure he was going to have a heart attack and when he looked down his cock was purple. He thought about his dick rubbing against that soft blonde hair then he grabbed the other two rabbits and used his hand and his stump to sandwich his cock between them.

They were still warm and the hair was soft and Merle was in ecstasy as he thrust between them. He looked over in time to see Beth's legs part slightly and the finger of one hand sinking deep inside her as the other stroked her clit. "C'mon lil girl," he rasped. "Come for daddy." He thought about his cock giving her the pleasure she was giving herself and he wanted to cum with her. He watched as her body stilled as her hands moved and her mouth open then she writhed and bucked. Her moan of ecstasy reached him and his cock shot like a geyser as he gritted his teeth and swallowed back a roar of triumph. He would hear her words until his dying day.

"Oh, Merle!"

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Beth felt relaxed and full of sun. She smiled sleepily as she and the others walked back to the car. Tyreese met them halfway. "Looks like we've got time to kill ladies since Daryl wants to go claim his woman. Michonne, would you care to accompany me to a cozy place in the forest?" Michonne tried to glare but then smiled widely. She gave him her hand and he escorted her into the woods. Beth and Maggie looked at each other and smiled as they approached the cars. "That was so romantic," said Beth. Maggie gave her a hug then approached Glen for a long kiss. Beth rubbed the tangled hair out of her eyes and looked up shyly to see Merle standing with his arms crossed, eyes on her. He had just finished cleaning rabbits and throwing the gut piles in the woods. "Have fun lil girl?" he asked. She smiled and said, "Yes, but now I'm sleepy. I'm going to lay down in the car until they get back." She felt his eyes on her back as she opened up the rear door and closed it behind her, stretching out full length on the back seat to soak up more of the sun's warmth.

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When everyone was ready to leave Maggie shoved Beth's shoulder to wake her up and Beth moved to the front seat next to Merle. Her face glowed with sun and happiness. "I'm so happy for Carol," she said. They could see Carol and Daryl's heads close together in the back seat of the car ahead of them and Daryl's arm move to go around Carol's neck. Beth curled up against the passenger door and closed her eyes, still smiling. As they got ready to go she asked softly, "Merle? Can we put up a rope swing?" Merle looked at her and his heart tugged. "Yeah sugar," he replied.

The women filed into the prison relaxed, sun-kissed and windburned. They lazily made dinner for the men who were all happy that the women were happy. Beth's pink skin had started turning decidedly red in the car and she called Maggie into her cell to look at it. "Hmmm. That's gonna hurt for a while," Maggie said, pressing her lips together so as not to laugh. They went into the kitchen and sat down for dinner and Maggie said, "I bet Carol has lotion." They looked down to where Daryl and Carol were mooning over each other next to Merle, Rick and Carl. Beth called to the end of the table, "Carol, do you have sunburn lotion?" Carol looked up and nodded. "Yeah honey, you got burned?" Maggie laughed and looked at Glen. "Her boobs did!" she said loudly. Beth's mouth dropped open and she hit Maggie on the shoulder. "Hush up Maggie!" she cried. She could see out of the corner of her eye that Merle's head had jerked up and he was staring at her. She flushed even redder than her sunburn and hid her face in her hands.

"Girls," warned Hershel. After dinner Carol brought down the lotion to Beth who put it in her back pocket. Beth had told Carol to take the night off from dishes and Judith so she could spend time with Daryl so Beth started collecting dirty dishes. One of the older ladies from Woodbury jumped up to help her. She was wiping off a table when Merle appeared beside her. He handed her his plate and she tried to not make a fool of herself. "Thank you," she said. His eyes looked straight into hers when he asked, "Ya got enough help then?" She smiled, "Yeah, we've got it, thanks." Unexpectedly he smiled and ran his eyes over her body. "Need help with that lotion later?" he asked cheekily. Her eyes widened in shock. _He's serious!_ _Oh God what do I say?_ She heard herself breathe, "Um, yeah. Thanks." And Merle winked at her and walked away.

Beth thought her dad would never go to sleep. She had Judith down on time and when her dad's lantern clicked off she breathed a sigh of relief. Soon she could hear him snoring. She was in her tank top and boxers reading a tattered magazine by lantern light when Merle appeared in her doorway. She smiled and he leaned against the door jamb. "Hey sugar," he said softly. "Gotta place you cain't reach?" She nodded and grabbed the lotion, standing up. She moved the lantern on the bed so he could see what he was doing and she turned her back to him. She moved her hair forward and tried to pull up the back of her shirt but it kept slipping. She knew he had moved behind her even though she didn't hear it.

"I cain't hold it and rub ya at the same time darlin'," he said. "Get ridda that thing." She paused. She'd never shown her breasts to any boy. She gulped and pulled the back of her tank over her head then brought the shirt down with both hands to cover her bare breasts. She could tell that Merle was standing very close because his voice rasped inches away from her ear, "Gimme summa that." His left hand came around her side palm up and she squirted some lotion into it.

The cold lotion touched her back and she flinched, expecting his touch to hurt. He dabbed the lotion into her shoulders then spread it out in circles, his touch surprisingly gentle. He moved very slowly and she dropped her head and closed her eyes. He held his hand out for more and he moved to her middle back, his movements agonizingly slow. He felt her breathing slow as she relaxed and when he moved to the tight muscles of her lower back she sighed in pleasure.

He held his hand out for more and when he got it he wrapped his right arm loosely around her neck, pulling her up against him. She gasped in surprise at the warm bulk of his body pressing into her bare back from behind and the cool metal at the end of his wrist that trapped her from the front. She felt the rumble of his laugh between her shoulder blades. "Ain't gonna hurt ya sugar," he said. "Ain't gonna do a damned thing ya don't want." She nodded and hesitantly dropped her head trustingly to the side so it rested in the crook of his arm, exposing her neck to him.

She felt the rise and fall of his chest pick up speed as he gazed down at her neck and at the shirt clutched to her breasts. He moved his head so that she could feel his breath on the skin of her neck and she closed her eyes again. She was in foreign territory and to stay here her only option was to submit. His left hand found her stomach and began to slowly rub lotion into her midriff, the bottom of her rib cage and then slowly down to her navel. His lips trailed down her neck and she jumped back only to feel his hardness nestled between the cheeks of her ass. Her mouth opened and she moaned softly with the combined sensations. He moved his lips to her jawline so he could see her face when he pressed into her from behind and when she moaned again he felt the surge of blood into his cock.

"Ya feel what ya do to me?" he asked hoarsely. "Every day when I see ya I got this goin' on." She turned her face away from him further to bury it down into the crook of his arm. She was panting and he could feel her pulse thundering under his lips. His hand kept circling, now below the navel and just below the waistband of her boxers. He moved his lips behind her ear. "I saw ya today on that dock. Touchin' yaself and callin' my name when ya came." Beth inhaled raggedly and whispered, "No" into his arm. She was mortified that he had seen her and heard her.

"I'm gonna remember that til my dyin' day," said Merle in a deadly soft whisper. "Ain't never seen nothin' so beautiful in my life." His hand dipped slightly lower brushing her soft curls. Beth's face remained buried into his arm.

"Gimme some lotion," he ordered and she slowly raised her head to dispense it. He could see that her face was wet with tears of shame. He repositioned his right arm so he held it across her belly but it wasn't preventing her escape because she was leaning on him for support. She sniffled and straightened and he nuzzled her ear. "Move your hands down," he rasped. She turned her head to look at him and he kissed her cheek, both arms cradling her to his chest. "Go on now," he ordered.

Beth slowly dropped her hands and he feasted his eyes on his new treasures. "Perfect little titties," he said, his voice breaking. "Beggin' ta be touched. Wantin' ta be tasted." Beth's chest heaved with fear and desire, no one had ever talked to her like this before and she didn't want it to stop. With a feather touch he dabbed on the lotion and worked it into her sensitive breasts being careful not to press on the burned skin. When he got to the nipples he softly pulled them into points and she pressed her face into his neck and moaned as the heat poured out of her. She realized she was moving her hips against him and he was thrusting against her.

"Anybody ever suck these titties?" he asked hoarsely. She shook her head mutely as his fingers pulled on her nipples. "You like me touchin' em?" She nodded her head sharply. He was panting in her ear and his control was starting to slip. "You put yer fingers down there like ya did today. I wanna make ya happy." Beth nodded, lost to sensation and she slid her hand into the front of her boxers. She had never felt herself so wet and swollen and when she touched her clit she trembled. Merle's leg was in between hers spreading them apart and she moved her foot up to the bed to make room.

"Fuck yes," said Merle. "Next time it'll be my mouth down there makin' ya all slick, then it'll be my cock fuckin' ya until ya scream." He kept working her nipples and pushing into her from behind panting near her ear. Beth moaned helplessly and her head dropped back against his shoulder, she was nearing the edge more intensely than ever before. "Oh Merle," whispered. "Oh God oh God." She was shaking and he hissed through his teeth, "C'mon lil girl. Come with Daddy." Beth thrust against him sharply and clamped her mouth shut as the orgasm ripped through her, she could hear herself moaning as his right arm tightened and he swore bucking into her and thrusting between her legs. She went limp against him and moaned softly as the spasms twitched through her body.

Merle was sweating and panting like he had just run a race and he tilted his head up to get some fresh air. The smell of her sex made him fucking crazy. "That's my girl," he said softly as she recovered against him. He loosened his arms so they weren't rubbing on her skin and he kissed her temple and her cheekbone.

"I've never kissed you," she whispered. He rubbed his face in her hair then said, "Put that shirt back on." She complied and he held his hand back out for lotion. She put some in his hand and he used his right arm to turn her around.

Her eyes were huge and swimming with emotion and he said, "Lift your chin." She did and he softly rubbed lotion into the column of her neck and on the exposed portion of her chest. "Look at me," he said and when she did he stroked lotion into her forehead, her cheeks, nose and chin. He used the backs of his knuckles to go back over one cheek and a tear slipped out of each of her eyes. He looked into her eyes and saw the flurry of emotions there and he drew her in for a long kiss, his hand wrapped in her hair. She wrapped her arms around him and he broke the kiss and pulled her in tight. "You mine now. Nobody else for either of us," and she nodded with a soft sob against his chest. He pulled her face up for a short kiss and said, "Gonna get outta here fore yer pa wakes up." She pressed her lips together and nodded, tears running down her face. As he climbed the stairs to his cell he knew she was scared out of her mind but didn't have a clue how to help her.

He had to admit that he didn't feel too steady himself.

**Well...how did ya like it?**


	6. The Cunning Linguists of Cell Block C

**OK, here's my submission for the Meth picture contest. We'll see how it does!**

**The Cunning Linguists of Cell Block C**

Merle paced in the pre-dawn light outside of Daryl's cell. He smirked when he heard Carol's muffled screams from beyond the blankets hung in the front of the cell. _Little brother's layin' the pipe good, makin' up fer lost time I guess_ thought Merle proudly. Beth had made the same sounds last night only she had done it twice. _One day you'll catch up brother_ chuckled Merle to himself. A few minutes later Daryl slouched out of the cell with uncombed hair. Merle clapped him on the back and they went down the stairs. "Want som'n ta eat before we go?" asked Merle. Daryl smirked, "Already ate me some fine breakfast." Merle frowned at him then it dawned on him what Daryl meant.

"Boy, didn't I teach ya that only pussies eat pussy?" growled Merle. Daryl blew in Merle's face and replied, "Pfft. I eat that shit every day," and walked out the door. Merle followed in shock, the clean smell of Carol's pussy in his nose. _No gash was gonna make Merle Dixon kneel, that was a fact. And when the hell did Daryl become such a fuckin' freak?_

Daryl shot him a sidelong look. "Bet ya a carton a cigarettes and a bottle a whiskey - ya try it with Beth and ya won't be able ta keep ya face outta there," he challenged as they walked into the prison yard. Merle snorted and Daryl pointed at him. "And I'll know if ya keep doin' it on the sly 'cause the women all talk and they don't leave nothin' out."

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Carol stared off into space as she rubbed the bar soap into Daryl's stained shirt, a soft smile on her face. Maggie laughed at her from over her washtub. "Musta been good!" she joked. Carol snapped back to the present and blushed, laughing. "It was," she admitted. Maggie stood up straight, stretching her back. "Do tell Carol! I want details." Beth scolded her from the rinse tank. "Maggie! It's none of your business!" Maggie laughed. "Come on Carol, I'll tell if you will. It's not as though we don't all hear each other….you too BETH!" Beth blushed. She and Merle really did try to keep it down. Well she did anyway. _But when he starts saying dirty things in my ear_… Now Beth was staring off into space with a smile. _Caint get enough a Merle's cock can ya sugar? _she recalled his scratchy voice and she shivered as her nipples hardened.

Carol rubbed the shirt against the washboard. "Well this morning Daryl was just a little hungry before he left to hunt. I'd say he ate pretty well!" Carol blushed hard as Maggie dissolved into laughter. "Oh you lucky lady!" said Maggie. "I can't EVEN keep quiet when Glenn goes down, we have to do it in the tower and I still have to put his shirt in my mouth!" The two women laughed while Beth looked between them with a frown. She had clearly missed something. "What does Daryl being hungry have to do with sex? And what's Glenn getting down?" she asked. When the two women gaped at her she felt even stupider than she knew she looked. She looked down at the washtub and tried not to cry.

"Oh sweetie. Oh sweetie, " cooed Maggie as she came over to Beth and hugged her. "I'm so sorry. It's 'going down' not 'getting down'. But doesn't Merle ever…? I mean I'd think he'd be the first one to…?" Beth looked at her sister and at Carol who had her hand over her mouth. "To do what?" asked Beth. Maggie rubbed Beth's arms with her hands. "Bethy, do you ever use your mouth on him, you know his…dick?" Beth nodded solemnly. "He loves it," she said. "Though I'm not sure I really know how to do it right." Maggie waited, looking at her and Beth returned her gaze blankly. Maggie continued, "Honey doesn't he do it to you?" Beth's chin drew towards her neck in surprise. "Down there?!" she asked in surprise. "No. I didn't even know people did that!"

"That's what we're talking about," said Carol softly. "I guess some women might not like it but most of us love it. And from what I've seen and heard most guys love doing it. Daryl sure does." Beth frowned again. "But how…?" she trailed off. Maggie squeezed Beth's arms. "With his tongue honey. Just over and over again on your sweet spot down there until you cum. It's soft and warm and wonderful. Glenn puts his finger in deep while he's doing it and it sends me right through the roof!"

"Oh," said Beth, suddenly disappointed. "I guess we don't do that." She was quiet for the rest of the day. Why would Merle deny her such pleasure when she did everything she knew of for him? _He has to know about it, he knows a lot about sex_ she thought. She watched his mouth while he inhaled his dinner and tried to imagine it 'down there'. W_hat would it feel like?_

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The next night Merle's head was buried in her breasts and her fingers were combing through his short hair. Merle was slurping and moaning, there was no doubt that titty time was definitely his favorite time of day. Beth bit her lip and began to move back so that his lips trailed her navel and then her bush. Her breath became shallow, _he's almost there_. His nose buried in her soft pubic hair and she pushed his head a little lower. She squeaked in surprise when Merle's teeth sank into her creamy inner thigh and she writhed in anticipation.

She closed her eyes and tipped her head back ready for a new experience then opened them back up in surprise when he entered her. He pulled her over onto her side and fucked her with long smooth strokes until she felt the heat pouring out of her body and she convulsed in pleasure. Once she finished he pulled out and presented his cock to her. It was glistening with her juices and he guided her head to it hissing, "Fuck yes," as she sucked the head then took all of him into her mouth. "Fuck yes little girl, suck it," he moaned and his hips moved jerkily as he came. "Swallow that shit, that's my good girl. Yer such a good fuck." Merle closed his eyes and stroked her hair as she swallowed and his stomach muscles twitched as her head bobbed up and down to clean him.

She frowned as he collapsed next to her, already snoring. This didn't seem fair at all.

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Beth awoke the next morning with Merle's hard on pressed into her back. He was grunting softly trying to maneuver himself down to get it between her legs so she helped him by scooting up a bit. She patiently allowed a few dry thrusts to get him in then relaxed back against him as he grunted triumphantly. "Merle," she said as he tried to establish a rhythm. "Hm," he replied as he adjusted her ass so he could get a better angle. She moved her ass a little bit to help him and she felt the head of his cock hit her very special place. She closed her eyes for a second to savor it then found her resolve. "Why won't you go down on me?" she asked.

Merle spit out a mouthful of ponytail. "The fuck ya askin' that for?" he asked, a little short of breath with his efforts. She turned her head to look over her shoulder at him. "You've never done it to me. Last night I tried to get you to and you wouldn't." Merle closed his eyes for a second. "We gotta talk about this now?" he asked. She continued to look at him over her shoulder and replied, "Seems like the perfect time to me, unless you'd like to discuss it with my dad sitting next to us at dinner." Merle ceased movement and sighed. "Cause I don't like it," he said.

"What don't you like?" she asked. Merle sighed. "Ate some skank out once that had the clap. Smelled like dead fish and it was like eatin' cottage cheese. Messy as hell too." Beth was silent for a moment. "Do I smell bad?" she asked meekly, unconsciously shrinking against him. Unless it was a spur of the moment thing she always scrubbed herself with soap and water and brushed her teeth before they coupled. "Nah," he replied. He loved the smell of her pussy as he was fucking her. She gulped. "I taste bad? It doesn't seem to bother you when you suck my fingers after I've….been down there."

"Ya taste good," he sighed, rubbing an itch on his forehead against her ponytail. This morning was not going like he'd hoped. She tensed against him and she worried her lip between her teeth. She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt but she was starting to get a bad feeling. She swallowed carefully, "I do it for you. A lot. Even when I don't particularly want to I do it because it makes you so happy. Even when you've been inside me first. And I have no problem with the taste or the smell." _We've all become immune to unpleasant smells by now_ she thought ruefully. Merle's cock softened and he fell out of her.

"That's different," he said gruffly. "Man don't do that shit." Beth's throat swelled shut as she put two and two together. Since the beginning he had called all the shots in bed and everywhere else. _I'm the woman - I have to serve him_. The realization took her breath away. It had nothing to do with sex at all. It was how he regarded her. How he regarded _them_. "Because I'm no different than any of the others," she choked out loud. Skanks. Whores. Bitches. That's how he had described the other women he'd been with. _And he'll use the same words about me when he moves to the next one._ She sat up suddenly and refused to look at him as she put her clothes on. She bit her lips to try to stem the hot tears of humiliation and walked carefully out of the cell with straight shoulders. She needed to get to Maggie but she would be damned if he would see her run.

Merle glared at her back. He felt deep in his gut that he had crossed a line and he wasn't sure he would be allowed back.

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She had been angry with him before and he had always been able to get back in her good graces using the signature Merle Dixon charm but this was a completely different situation. There were no raised voices, no objects thrown, no sullen glances or bitter retorts. Beth was shattered by the realization that in Merle's mind they had never been equals. She struggled to wrap her mind around it. She spent time crying in Maggie's lap but when Maggie questioned her she wouldn't answer. Maggie was a good enough sister that she didn't push Beth, instead she just comforted her and hoped whatever had happened between the two lovers would pass. It didn't stop Maggie from throwing daggers all day at Merle with her eyes.

The rest of the time Beth tried her best to appear normal around everyone but they all knew something was deeply wrong between her and Merle. He paced on the fringes of the group agitated while she appeared sad and lost in lonely thought. She didn't seem to notice him at all and that night she served him dinner without looking at his face and slept in her own bunk next to Hershel's cell. Normally shy and unassuming, she pressed even deeper into the shadows and cried the light out of her blue eyes.

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Merle hurt. He hurt fucking bad. When she had voiced it aloud a piece of understanding had fallen into place for him. He had never thought about it before, never realized that his attitude really had nothing to do with sex. His attitude ahd degraded every woman he'd ever slept with and most importantly he had degraded the one person who gave him something to live for in this world. He shocked himself with that revelation. Six months ago that person would have been Daryl and now it was Beth. When he saw her eyes the next morning it pulled his heart out and when he saw Officer Friendly put his hands on Beth's face then pull her into a hug outside of the cells he wanted to kick his own ass. Whatever Friendly had asked her she had shaken her head no and dropped her eyes again. Merle felt like he was seeing his life with new eyes and the sight made him feel like a real asshole. He knew the ball was in his court to either change himself or end the relationship.

He made up his mind as he watched Beth standing in place looking at the floor in infinite sadness. Merle strode to her and stopped in front of her. She saw by the shoes and the cuffs of his pants that it was him. "Need ta talk to ya," said Merle. Beth shook her head no and turned her head away from him. She felt drugged, she wanted to lie down and cover herself with a blanket until Jude woke up. She was too hurt to cry or get mad or really to do anything but cover her face with her hands. _What is there to say when you find the happiest part of your life is a lie?_

Merle studied her shoulders and the graceful hands that covered her face. He had broken this precious thing and somehow it _mattered_ in this world. It mattered to him. He leaned back against the wall and slid down to sit on the floor, his arms on his knees. He stared ahead as he talked. "Our mama was purty like you. Had a gentle voice and a smile that'd light up the room. Liked to laugh," he said. "That's what I remember anyway when I think back to when life was good. She had Cherokee in 'er, long dark hair and brown eyes. 'Swere Daryl got his looks from. Me, I'm all my pa." Beth didn't give any indication that she had heard him. He regarded her then pursed his lips and continued, "Daryl came more'n ten years after me so he never saw her like that. By then she was used up, drunk, Pa beat the shit outta her and me. She went and burnt 'erself up in the house one day and then it was just us in that little house. I was a teenager, pissed off and drugged up and I hated that motherfucker that raised us. Told him he'd kilt her as sure as if he pulled a trigger on 'er and that one day I'd even the score."

Beth remained motionless and Merle grimaced. "Started gettin' me some regular tail, got my own bike, started dealin' to pay fer my own habits. Pretty soon I was in and out of the juvie system. When I was seventeen I saw the writin' on the wall, knew in a year it was prison or the military so I enlisted. Left baby brother on his own to take the licks I shoulda been protectin' him from but I knew if I went back I'd kill that cocksucker. Made it a year and a half before gettin' the boot outta the army, fell right back inta the same ole life. Went from job to job, dealin', fightin', gettin' drunk and gettin' laid every night. Never made no real friends, never had nothin' to do with women besides a quick fuck er two. Stayed close ta little brother though….never lived more than an hour away. Went ta jail every once in a while, was in prison once too. I'd get out, find a new place to crash and start all over again. Didn't need nothin' but a meth pipe, some ass and plenty a whiskey. Nothin' could touch me. Then one day the dead started walkin' and I'm chained to a rooftop."

Beth shifted slightly and her head tipped down. If this was his idea of a pep talk it wasn't working. He crossed his arms and shifted against the wall. "Lost my hand, went through hell ta find my brother. Killed innocent people to survive life with a lunatic. Finally came across my brother only ta find he had a wife, a new family- and I'll be damned if it wasn't one that made him happy insteada miserable. Tried like hell ta get him ta leave but he picked y'all over me. First thing that's hurt since losin' our ma." He chuckled grimly. "Decided if I want ta stay with him I had ta play nice so here I am tryin' ta be a model citizen, then the sweetist lil thing I ever saw comes ta me scared one night and next thing I know I got me a full time woman."

Beth's heart seared at the memory of the violent storms that night, the lightning and thunder that had terrified her, and running blindly out of her cell and into the arms of the man she'd been yearning for. Merle had held her while she shook and muffled her cries by crushing his mouth over hers. Weeks later she had gifted him with her innocence and her heart.

He regarded her and pursed his lips in thought. "I thought I knew what hurt felt like, thought I was protected. Thought there weren't nobody could hurt me besides Daryl. But then you walked outta my cell and I found out what real hurt was. I'm livin' it and I don't like it. And what makes it hurt the worst is knowin' I caused it." His lip curled in frustration and he stared ahead, awaiting her decision.

Beth uncovered her face to look at him. She had only caught glimpses of him with his guard down before but now he was completely open, his eyes unshielded and his face grim. She saw the pain in him and crouched down to see him at eye level. He engulfed her and she pressed her face into him, clutching at his shirt. "Ya comin' back?" he asked, and she nodded silently. He sighed and shut his eyes and they held each other until Daryl called for Merle to go on watch.

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It was dawn and time to hunt. Daryl paced restlessly, smirking when he looked at the unopened cigarettes and whiskey on his bunk. He snorted sarcastically when he heard Beth's breathless pants from the other end of the perch. He was going to give Merle hell. Merle showed up a few minutes later with a spring in his step and a smile on his face. 'Mornin brotha,' he said jauntily. 'Runnin' late, had ta get me some breakfast."

"Didn't think ya liked breakfast," said Daryl smugly as they moved down the stairs. Merle looked at him in consternation. "Fuck ya talkin' about boy? I allas told ya eatin' pussy'd make a man outta ya. Good ta see yer finally listenin'."

**OK, there it is. I only got about 6 reviews last time I posted anything – thank you to the lovely people who contributed!**


	7. Thank You - Meth Award

**Athlete Girl Here-**

**Thanks so much to the organizers of the Meth picture contest for their hard work and for the award! And special thanks to Letters2Elise for a fantastic job on the picture! I appreciate all who read and review my smut.**


	8. Holy Fng Shit!

**OMG!**

**Athlete Girl reporting from the Columbus, OH Comic Con where I've spent a great weekend with SOA Loving Mom, Lady Danae, AND MICHAEL ROOKER!**

**Athlete Girl doesn't like to kiss and tell BUT…this morning I was kissed full on the mouth by none other than MERLE DIXON!**

**I may never wash my lips again!**

Thanks to all of you who have been patiently waited for additions to my stories. It appears that the muse has unfortunately left me. I hope it will come back. If it does, you all will be the first to know!


	9. Chapter 9 - Valentine's Day (Meth)

**Hi, Athlete Girl here! SOA Loving Mom wrote such a great chapter for Summer Fire (Beautiful) that I just wanted to post a little dessert with it (so read hers first). This is also in response to the awesome kiss that I got from Michael Rooker himself at Comic Con yesterday! It was scruffly with that grown out beard!**

**Valentines Day (Meth)**

Beth sighed wistfully as she watched Carol take Daryl's hand and walk around the perimeter. It had been so nice getting Carol dressed up and giving her the dried flowers and seeing the flush on Carol's face when she finally saw Daryl. Daryl shyly took Caryl's hand and Beth felt tears collect in her eyes, part out of happiness and part out of longing. She watched them walk for a while, hugging her arms to her stomach unconsciously in the cool air. She saw their heads turn towards each other and she looked at Maggie who was smiling. She suddenly felt as if she needed air.

"I'm going to walk this way," she said to Maggie, nodding towards the motor pool. Maggie noted the sadness on Beth's face. This was the time in her sister's life when she should be worrying about prom and decorating her friends' yards with toilet paper. Instead she'd be lucky to survive into her twenties. She knew Beth was a virgin and that her dreams of love had been squashed when Jimmy died. She also knew it didn't help that she and Glenn were so happy.

She put her arm around Beth's straight shoulders. "I'll come with you to be safe," she said. They walked together and Beth asked, "What did Glenn get you for Valentine's day?" Maggie grinned. "I get a massage later," she said. "Plus extras!" The sisters laughed together as they entered the motor pool. "If I had a Valentine," Beth sighed. She thought about it for a few minutes before continuing. She thought of Merle's broad shoulders and hoarse voice. There had been a few late night encounters between the two of them when she made bottles for the baby. They mostly consisted of Merle raking her body with half lidded eyes and asking her double meaning questions in his Southern drawl. She always felt like a deer in the headlights, frozen in his stare. Once he had approached her and stood inches in front of her, searching her eyes with an impenetrable look and slowly leaning forward to lazily smell the skin on her neck. His breath had caressed her and she closed her eyes to savor it. Judith's cry had pierced the night, breaking the spell.

"I'd just want to hold him," Beth said softly. A tear slipped down her face and she tried to smile through it as Maggie gave her a one-sided hug. They rounded the corner by the gas tanks and found Merle there alone finishing up under one of the trucks. Maggie stiffened but Beth turned towards him. He heard them talking and looked up. "Gettin' dark," he warned. He ignored Maggie's glare and stole a look at Beth. She was smiling at him through sad eyes. Maggie pulled her towards the prison but Beth turned back around. "Happy Valentine's Day Merle," she said earnestly. He grunted something in reply and they returned for evening Gospel with Hershel.

TWDTWD TWDTWD TWDTWD TWDTWD TWDTWD TWDTWD TWDTWD

Beth lay in her bunk playing absently with a hole in her blanket. The lights were out but the moonlight softly shone into her room. She frowned when she heard the sighs emanating from Glenn and Maggie's room. She thought about the female Catholic saints and how many of them died as virgins. _Maybe it's not too late to change religions_ she thought.

She looked up to see Merle standing silently in the doorway. "Hi," she whispered. He walked in and squatted down to look at her. "OK?" he asked. She looked down and nodded and he could tell she was lying. She shrugged and a long moment passed. "Merle," she whispered, looking up at him with eyes that plagued him in his sleep. He could hardly stand to look at the moonlight on her skin, she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. The most beautiful thing he wanted to know. He nodded at her and she asked softly, "If you had a Valentine what would you do for her today?" He snorted softly. "Ain't the Valentine type little girl. I'd probly be out drinkin' and fuckin', maybe gettin' arrested."

Beth grimaced and nodded, looking at her lap and battling tears. Nobody had died today so that qualified as a good day. Sure didn't feel like a good day to her though. She swallowed her pride. "Merle can I kiss you good night?" she whispered. He nodded subtly and she raised her face to the side of his. He leaned in and she rubbed her soft cheek on his whiskers then she rubbed her nose slowly through the bristles to breathe in his scent. She mouthed the side of his face marveling at the softness of his beard and when she pulled away she turned to place a soft kiss low on his mouth. The feel of his lips moving against hers brought a smile to her face and she lay back on the pillow with her eyes closed, savoring the sensation. He straightened and rose, looking down upon her soft smile. As he turned back to his bunk he knew he'd die for her.

**Please read and review – I need some love!**


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